Light in the Darkness
by SilverWolf7
Summary: After a wicked blow to the head, Drizzt finds his life changed for good.  When there is nothing he can possibly do to change what has happened, he strives to live his life as normal as possible with his friends.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters that you don't recognise. They all belong to the brilliant R. A. Salvatore. I do, however, own Lyavain. If asked nicely, you can borrow her.  
  
A/N - Just wanted to say that this idea has been niggling at me ever since I read Sojourn. She-cat's A New Beginning Chapters 36-39 also inspired me to write this story. I have a habit of torturing and hurting my favourite characters, so sorry if this annoys anyone, I thought it interesting and original. I haven't read The Thousand Orcs yet, so if some of the stuff I put in here is wrong (apart from the obvious), well it's not my fault. This is my first Forgotten Realms story, so if it doesn't make sense.well, you know why. I am hopeless with writing the accent of Catti-Brie and Bruenor; hopefully I'll get better. Please be kind and leave a review.  
  
Light in the Darkness  
  
Chapter One  
  
It was a simple fight and one Drizzt knew he could win. His scimitars working in perfect rhythm, he was disappointed with how inexperienced his attacker was.  
  
Off to his left, Catti-Brie sliced down one of the thugs with Khazid'hea, before readying her bow to shoot the other one that was running towards her.  
  
To his right, Wulfgar and Regis were dealing with their own thugs. Regis, using the barbarian for a shield, swung his mace at any enemy that got too close to him.  
  
Bruenor, who was behind him, yelled out something he didn't quite catch, only to be thrown completely off balance when the dwarf ran past him, almost knocking him off his feet. Icingdeath swung too wide and before his extremely quick reflexes could bring his scimitars up to stop the weapon, the hilt of a sword slammed hard into his face. There was a flash of brilliant white light, a moment of intense agony as it felt like something exploded behind his eyes, then everything went black.  
  
Bruenor, realising he had just thrown his friend off balance, turned back around after dealing with another of the young thugs just in time to see Drizzt crumple to the ground.  
  
Before he could flatten the thug for doing that, he spotted Regis now behind the man. One angry blow to the back of the man with a dagger he must have pinched from one of the idiots was enough to fell the thug. Regis glared at the man as if daring him to stand back up again.  
  
Bruenor and the others in the party were still surprised whenever Regis acted like this.  
  
Luckily that was the last of their supposed attackers and the small street they were on was suddenly quieter without the clang of metal on metal. Still, with one fallen ally and the rest of the party shaken, not that any would admit that, it wasn't a good idea to stay out in the open.  
  
Catti-Brie was immediately at Drizzt's side, holding his head in her lap, tracing the cut just above and in between his eyes. It was obvious that someone wanted them alive or else she was afraid he would be dead.  
  
A groan was heard from the man Regis had stabbed, obviously in pain. Pulling out his mace again, Regis gave the fallen man a good sharp thud on the head. Off to one side, the thug Catti-Brie had shot with one of her arrows was hobbling away, an arrow in a . . . most unfortunate place.  
  
"That's me girl." Bruenor mumbled, before peering down his nose at his fallen friend. It was a nasty cut, he thought, and it was still bleeding. He frowned at his own stupidity in the fight.  
  
"Well," he snapped to Wulfgar, "pick him up, boy! Best we get off the road and start lookin' fer a healer of some sort."  
  
Wulfgar nodded and picked up the drow before the companions started to search the small town they were passing through for a healer. They finally came across a woman who would talk to them. She told them that there was a healer just a little past the town.  
  
Saying their thanks, they followed the woman's instructions out of town. After a half-hour and no signs of any house of any sort a healer could live in they began wondering if this was all some jest due to what Drizzt was. It was Catti-Brie who was first to voice it out loud.  
  
"That woman must 'ave been playin' us. There'd be no place on this road fer miles would be to me guessin'." She stated, walking off to the side of the road, and finding herself a rock to sit on by the forest.  
  
Deciding to stop for a quick rest, Wulfgar had soon put Drizzt down on a soft patch of mossy ground, where Catti-Brie began to fuss over the wound with a piece of cloth ripped from her tunic.  
  
Soon, their quick rest was turned into a camping ground for the night, making sure they were off the road first; they found themselves to be near a clearing.  
  
Bruenor, having taken the first watch for the night, was busy trying not to fall asleep to hear the slight noise. He had no doubt that he had been snuck up on when the wolf slowly made its way into the clearing.  
  
He slowly nudged Wulfgar awake and pointed at the beast, knowing how savage the animals could be especially when hungry.  
  
As Wulfgar woke the sleeping halfling and woman, the wolf seemed to totally ignore them altogether. The beast began sniffing about the campsite like a puppy looking for the dinner scraps. It spotted Drizzt and the awake companions suddenly wished they had dressed the wound better than they had.  
  
The wolf loped over to the unconscious Drizzt, lifted its head and let out a long, mournful howl. Another, not too far away answered it. Too close for the likes of the small camping party.  
  
Its ears swivelling in the direction of the sound, the wolf suddenly took off like an overeager dog. It was likely meeting with the rest of its pack.  
  
The tired party sighed after a few minutes of silence and began to get comfortable in their bedrolls when they heard the deliberate snap of a twig.  
  
They were armed in a matter of seconds, all waiting for the inevitable wolf pack to come crashing into view looking for fresh meat. Instead, they were all surprised when an Elvin woman stepped into their camp, the wolf from before at her side like the obedient pet it seemed to be.  
  
"Halt. Please put down your weapons. I mean no harm to you." She said in the melodic tones of her people, she pointed to the wolf. "My friend here told me someone was injured and so I came to see."  
  
Looking towards Drizzt, Catti-Brie frowned. "Who are ye?!" She asked, though her question came out more a demand.  
  
To her credit, the elf looked a little embarrassed. "My name is Lyavain and I live nearby, in the forest. I am a healer."  
  
Looking at each other, the four companions took Lyavain to where the injured Drizzt was. Upon seeing a drow, she scowled.  
  
"Please help him." Wulfgar said, hoping that when his mentor woke, he wouldn't have a muddled head. The others nodded.  
  
"He's a good friend of ours." Added Regis, putting an emphasis on the word 'good'.  
  
Lyavain didn't look too pleased, but bent down to look at the visible wound on the dark elf's face. The blow, while not very deep in its cut, had been hard enough to knock down a small giant.  
  
Feeling the wound, she could feel a soft spot under the skin. It was amazing to her to see the drow still alive, the softness indicating a serious head injury. She had only seen this once before, to an elf in her clan, who got hit by a bugbear's morningstar. He had died though.  
  
Searching through the pack she carried on her back, she took out what she was looking for. A salve to stop the bleeding and starting the healing of the wound. Any damage done on the inside would have to heal itself. She dared not use magic after her last failed attempt on her fellow elf.  
  
She turned back to the worried friends of the dark elf. "I have stopped the bleeding and the wound should heal nicely. It might be an idea to bring him back to my house though, keep him as comfortable as possible. There is a bad injury on the inside, but I cannot do anything about that. The best thing for him is to rest and not move too much."  
  
Getting back to her feet, Lyavain allowed the others to follow her to her home. Lyavain knew she was doing the right thing here. Drow or not, she was not going to fail this one.  
  
A/N - Next chapter, Drizzt wakes up and everyone sits down and has a long talk about certain problems that have popped up. 


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
  
Slowly, Drizzt began to wake. Slitting open his eyes, he closed them quickly as even that smallest of movements sent daggers through his skull. His hands came up to rub at his forehead and he groaned out loud as another wave of pain crashed over him.  
  
He slowly became aware that someone was in the room with him.  
  
"Catti-Brie?" He called out quietly. This time when he opened his eyes, he kept them open. Turning to his side, he realised that the woman sleeping by the bed was not Catti-Brie, but a stranger. He slowly rubbed at his eyes, trying to get the room to come into focus but failed. It suddenly hit him that he didn't know where he was.  
  
He bolted up straight into a sitting position, only to have the world spin dizzyingly around him. He suddenly felt sick as nausea churned his stomach. Looking to the woman by the bedside, for the first time noticing her pointed ears, he felt a strange sense of dread. Where in the Nine Hells was he?  
  
His breath hitched as the nausea finally won out. Clamping a hand over his mouth, he looked around the room. The elf must have realised this would happen, as there was a bucket strategically placed by the bed. He quickly snatched it up and held it in front of him before he lost the contents of his stomach.  
  
By the time his retching had stopped, his stomach and throat were sore and his head felt like it had a goblin's axe stuck in it. When he came more back to his senses, he realised someone was gently rubbing his back. He slowly turned his head, only to be staring into the green eyes of the elven woman who had been sleeping.  
  
He lifted a shaking hand to wipe at his mouth and hoped that his black skin would cover the blush that had crept into his cheeks. He couldn't remember a time he had felt more embarrassed.  
  
Not only had he just been sick, but he had been comforted by a complete stranger - and an elf no less. One that was looking disapprovingly down at him. Not knowing what to do, he sheepishly handed her the bucket, which she put back into its original place by the bed.  
  
"And that is what you get for sitting up too fast, Drizzt!" she said, before making him lay back down again.  
  
He was about to ask her how she knew his name, but stopped. His friends must have told her, he realised, suddenly glad that it seemed he was the only one to have gotten hurt in their last fight. Instead, he did as he was told and laid back down, though the pillows were now propped up a bit.  
  
The elf handed him a glass of water and he immediately took it, rinsing his mouth out, and drinking the clean water left in the glass. "Thank you." He mumbled, his voice slurring a little. He thought about shaking his head, but changed his mind when he realised it would make him feel worse rather than better.  
  
The elf smiled at him. "My name's Lyavain."  
  
"Drizzt." He replied, though he knew he didn't have to.  
  
"I don't get many visitors here. Especially visitors like you and your friends."  
  
Drizzt closed his eyes. "Ah. Where am I?"  
  
"You and your friends are at my home in the Moonwoods."  
  
His eyes flew open again. "Of course. We were asked to patrol the area to stop a band of orcs that have been spotted near here. Probably from Dead Orc Pass."  
  
Lyavain got a decidedly angry look to her eyes at that. "Unfortunately the orcs have moved into the forest. My people and I are holding them back, but there seems to be more of them every time they come back. There are only small clans of elves in these woods and not enough of us to keep on fluking out of danger."  
  
Drizzt nodded and groaned at the movement. The fight he had been in, before he had woken up here, came back to him and he suddenly found himself angry with a certain dwarf. "Bruenor, you idiot." He mumbled to himself before once again massaging his scalp.  
  
He looked at Lyavain before quickly looking down at the bed again. "How badly hurt was I?" The fingers of one hand started to play with the blanket that was covering him.  
  
Lyavain frowned. "You were cut, but I healed that easily. The blow you took though was powerful and probably bruised some part of your brain. That will heal on its own and it would be wise for you to be as inactive as possible. I haven't got any healing potions with me and I won't use magic to heal this particular injury." Looking straight into his eyes she added, "Best for you to stay in bed."  
  
Drizzt frowned at that idea. He was a naturally active person and the thought of being stuck in a bed did not sit well with him. Thinking this, a wicked yet playful smile showed on his face. "I hope you know I am going to be a bad patient."  
  
Lyavain laughed at this. "I have yet to meet a traveller in need of a healer who isn't."  
  
Drizzt leaned more comfortably into the pillows and thought about all that had happened since leaving Silverymoon with this request from Lady Alustriel. He was beginning to worry about how long it would take for him to heal properly from the hit he had taken. Looking around the room, he had another thing to be worried about if he was to fight.  
  
"My vision . it's blurry. Will that heal?" He asked, hoping for a positive answer to his question.  
  
Looking at her patient, she smiled reassuringly. "It should, if you stay where you are and not run around too much."  
  
With that Drizzt sighed and decided to get himself as comfortable as he could. About to say something else, he was cut off when the door opened wide letting in his friends. Catti-Brie came in first, followed by Bruenor and Wulfgar. Though he couldn't see because of the bed, he also knew Regis to be there. Looking at his friends, his mood brightened quite a bit.  
  
"Ye're awake!" Catti-Brie stated, walking over to him and wrapping him in a hug he readily gave back.  
  
"About time too." Came the gruff reply from his dwarven friend, before Bruenor hastily said an awkward apology.  
  
"Are you ok?" The rather stoic question asked by Wulfgar. Since the barbarian had left Delly Curtie and Colson in Silverymoon in the capable hands of Alustriel, he hadn't been in much of a talking mood. Drizzt strongly suspected that had something to do with Delly discovering she was with child.  
  
"I would be if I had something to make this headache go away." He replied, once again closing his eyes and rubbing at his head. He started when, opening his eyes again, he found himself to be face to face with Regis. Somehow the halfling had made it onto the bed without his knowing.  
  
"Sorry." Regis said, but the look on his face seemed to say otherwise. "We were all afraid you would have addled your brain with that swing you took."  
  
Catti-Brie scowled at Regis before finally relinquishing her hold of the drow.  
  
Lyavain cleared her throat to get the attention of the whole party now that they were all in the same room. "Until Drizzt is more able to fight, I suggest we all stay here and lay low. My wolf companion, Colt, will patrol the area and warn me of any danger that might be coming. While we wait, I suggest we come up with some strategy as to what to do with the orcs."  
  
"What'd anyone do when facin' a pack o' the stinkin' orcs? Cut 'em down! That's all the battle plan we need." Bruenor stated swing his axe in a threatening way, hoping it will soon bite into orc flesh. Catti-Brie and Wulfgar nodded, both content with finding the creatures and dispatching f them as fast as possible.  
  
All of the companions soon made themselves comfortable, Regis making himself comfortable beside Drizzt even though his dark elf friend was not too pleased to be sharing the bed. They sat talking about the pro's and cons of Bruenor's idea.  
  
There was a long and silent pause. "Maybe we should listen to Lyavain." Regis offered. He was still not completely comfortable with running straight into a battle. He grinned. "Anyway, it will give us something to do while we wait for Drizzt to come back to his senses."  
  
Expecting a reply they all looked to the drow, only to see that, at some point during their argument, he had fallen back to sleep.  
  
Wulfgar, smiling slightly moved so he could lift Regis off the bed without waking their sleeping friend. The dark elf frowned in his sleep and moved slightly, freezing Regis as Wulfgar succeeded in getting him off the bed.  
  
Lyavain picked up the bucket and went to the door, motioning for the others to follow her out. When all were in the next room, the door silently being closed by Catti-Brie, Lyavain went and rinsed out the bucket.  
  
"The rest will do him good." She announced, before the group once again went on to discuss their plans for the upcoming fight.  
  
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Angry shouts woke Drizzt a few hours later. Looking fuzzily around him, he tried to remember where he was. He lay back down when he remembered Lyavain.  
  
He let the noise in the room next to him wash over his ears, suddenly becoming worried at what he was hearing. The clash of steel against steel was ringing in the air, as was the angry shouts of his friends and the unmistakable sounds that orcs make.  
  
For the second time that day Drizzt sat bolt upright, this time simply ignoring the nauseous feeling the move made him feel. Looking wildly around, he spotted his scimitars on the table beside the bed. Belting them to his sides, he immediately walked to the door, disoriented by the effort it took to try and see straight.  
  
Making it to the door and opening it, he saw the room filled with orcs. He felt like he was not ready for this fight when he had to lean against the doorframe to stop the world from spinning all of a sudden.  
  
When one of the orcs came running towards him, his scimitars were immediately in his hands and ran the creature through. Tugging Twinkle out of the orc, he found himself having to fight anyway.  
  
Staying near the door, afraid that he might need the support, he battled anything that came his way. When three of the enemies decided to fight him at once, he realised he should have left the fighting to his friends. He found himself having to twist his way out of the reach of short swords as the orcs began swinging them at him.  
  
Bringing his weapons in front of him, he barely felt the nick as one of the orcs got a slash in on one of his arms. Having to twist his way out of the reach of the other two, he soon let his weapons go wherever they felt like, trusting them more than himself at the moment.  
  
By the time he felled the first one of the three, he knew he needed help badly. Tiring quicker than usual, his head pounding and his vision failing to tell him where exactly a weapon was, he cried out to his friends to help.  
  
One fell instantly, a silver arrow slicing through its body and into the wall beside him. The one arrow was all that had come though and he found himself turning to thank Catti-Brie who was wildly using Taulmaril to the best advantage against the two archers at the main door.  
  
For the second time in as many days, he felt a sharp pain as he was hit in the head, this time, however, he stayed conscious. Spinning quickly about, he just as quickly killed the last of the three orcs.  
  
Hearing a commotion, he spun about ready to face the next orc that came to him, only to see what was left of the now much smaller pack run out of the house and back to their hiding spot.  
  
He knew he should have been in pain, but standing there at the wall all that ached in him vanished. He was surprised when his vision blacked out for a second only to come back and show him a worried looking group of people standing over him.  
  
He realised he was on the floor and couldn't get back up again. He closed his eyes, willing away the distorted faces of his friends only to feel something touch his lips. Opening his mouth, he felt the taste of a healing potion as it passed his tongue, issuing its healing warmth through his body.  
  
Not knowing what to do now, he did the first thing he could think of, he let himself fall into dark unconsciousness.  
  
A/N - Again the poor chap gets hit in the head. Aw well. Thank you to the four people who review first chapter. It is quite easy to guess what this story is about by the title, I just had no idea how to get him to that point. Lol, mind you I have no idea what blows to the head can do as, for one as skinny as I am, I have been told I have a thick skull, or at least strong bones . my experiences hurt like hell, but I got over it pretty quickly, though I should have had a concussion and didn't. Lucky me. 


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three  
  
The first rational thought that entered Drizzt's mind when next he opened his eyes was that the Drow had finally caught him. The room was in complete darkness. So, the first rational thing he did was to roll out of the Globe of Darkness.  
  
Off the bed and onto the floor, he lunged for where he thought the door was - only to be off the mark, his hand slamming painfully into the wall.  
  
Deciding to wait for the spell to finish, he stood still for a while. It was then he remembered that he had been in a bed. If the drow had captured him, he would more likely be chained to a wall, waiting for some female to sacrifice him to Lloth.  
  
The only drow he knew didn't want him dead, or at least his death on his hands was Jarlaxle and he didn't think that the mercenary would leave him in a room with a darkness spell over it.  
  
Shaking the thoughts from his head, he tried to think of the room he had been in before. The room had not had a window, so if it was night, and no torch or candle was burning, it would be impossible to see with his normal vision. Switching over to infrared, he frowned when the world stayed black. He decided not to rule out his earlier kidnapping thought.  
  
Turning around, hoping to make his way back to the bed, he tripped over one of his well-worn boots and ended up sprawled on the floor instead. He got to his hands and knees, but froze before taking any means of a step forward. He decided it would be safer to stay on the floor instead of getting back up and he began to slowly crawl back to where he hoped the bed was.  
  
He thought it rather ironic that, now he was looking for the bed, he found the door instead. Keeping one hand on the door, he got to his feet and started looking for the handle. Finding it in seconds he let himself smile. Finally he could do something right in this room.  
  
Opening the door and expecting light, he was quite shocked when he was faced by more of the darkness. He clutched the doorframe tightly, suddenly scared.  
  
"Drizzt? What're ye doin' huggin' the doorway?" Catti-Brie asked, voice somewhere over to his left.  
  
She could see him? That would mean there is no spell, Drizzt reasoned to himself. He was suddenly gasping for breath clinging to the doorframe too afraid to move. His eyes swept the room, but took nothing in. He felt weak then, letting go of the door only to fall to his knees as the truth to his situation tried to make itself known fully.  
  
"Cat . . . Catti-Brie?" he called out, looking over to where he had last heard her voice. "I can't . . . where are you?"  
  
A slight touch to his arm sent him reeling away, scuttling backwards until his back was fully against the wall.  
  
"It's just me." Came the voice of Lyavain. "What is wrong?"  
  
He was suddenly very angry at the elf. "You said it would get better." He growled out.  
  
Lyavain shot a glance to the human woman in the room, the three other males sleeping in a bunkroom on the other side of the house. "Is your head still hurting?"  
  
Scowling, Drizzt shook his head. "My sight. I would not call this better by any means of the word!" He shocked the two women and Colt who was sleeping by the fireplace when he screamed that last sentence. Colt rolled over and huffed, going immediately back to sleep.  
  
"Your vision . . . is it still blurry?" The elf asked, trying to calm the drow down a little. "What do you see?"  
  
All rational thought slipped from Drizzt's mind then. With a furious shout, he launched himself at where he knew the elf to be. When his hands caught hold of a small, elven wrist he tackled her to the floor and started to angrily punch out at her.  
  
Catti-Brie was frozen to the spot. She couldn't believe the Drizzt she knew would do something like this, especially without provocation or a warning of any sort. She was both amazed, yet horrified at the sight of her friend being so . . . drowlike.  
  
The doorway to the bunkroom opened then and the other three walked into the room when they heard the angry shouts. Seeing Catti-Brie staring at a spot on the floor, the couch in their way of vision, all three went to see what had her so transfixed.  
  
After another angry shout, they knew that there was a fight going on. Regis ran over to Catti-Brie and tried to pull her away from the sight. He was just as shocked by his friend's behaviour.  
  
"Get him off her!" He yelled to Bruenor and Wulfgar who were both staring at the fight. Bruenor was the first to move, pulling the enraged drow off of the elf and putting him in a lock hold. One arm along the chest of his friend, the other across the dark elf's waist, holding him close to his own body.  
  
"Let go of me!" Screamed Drizzt, struggling wildly to get out of the dwarf's grip. Failing that, he bit down angrily at the hand holding him at the shoulder.  
  
Feeling the grip loosen only the slightest bit, it was still enough to wriggle his way to the ground. He felt his way back to the shaking elf on the ground, straddled her stomach and raised his fist as if to strike again.  
  
His arm was caught and squeezed by a maddeningly tight grip. He cried out, this time in pain as pressure was added. Soon he was wrapped into the even stronger grip of Wulfgar. His wild struggling stopped soon, as he realised that there was no getting away this time.  
  
"What did she do to you to deserve that?!" Wulfgar shouted, holding the drow away from any sensitive spots he could kick.  
  
Drizzt began to calm down slightly. "She lied to me!" he said, but his anger was slipping away to be replaced with two other emotions.  
  
He heard Catti-Brie go over and help the elven woman off the floor and the two of them move off to another room, which he could only guess would be the kitchen or bathroom. He could hear crying . . . from both of them.  
  
"Is she ok?" Drizzt asked meekly, wanting to know how badly he had hurt Lyavain. He relaxed entirely in Wulfgar's grip, letting the barbarian know that his sanity had once again returned.  
  
"Will you go after her again if I put you down?" The tall human asked. Drizzt shook his head and was dropped heavily to the floor.  
  
There had never been a moment in his life he could remember that he had been so vicious. Right that moment the only thing he could think to do was go hide somewhere. Not being able to run without crashing into anything, he settled for burying his head in his hands.  
  
The sound of Wulfgar's retreating feet and the click of a door closing made him suddenly aware of how very alone and vulnerable he was and felt at the time.  
  
"Regis? Bruenor? Anybody? Oh Gods, I need help." He was hoping at least one of his friends would come and help him, when he realised that no help was coming, he realised how angry his friends must be at him.  
  
Alone on the floor of a room he had barely seen, he was too terrified to move. He hugged his knees tightly and tried some calming techniques he had been taught. They didn't work too well.  
  
He felt an insane urge to laugh, but knew he would go hysterical if he did. Still, a strangled sound somewhere between a laugh and a moan escaped his lips.  
  
Tears pricked his eyes, but he would not allow them to fall. He was afraid that if he did, he would never stop. One lone tear escaped his control and slowly rolled down his face. He would have wiped it away if it did not mean having to let go of his knees, his only means of support at the time.  
  
He heard a door open and running feet hurrying to the room he had been in before this whole mess had started. He groaned, knowing it to be Lyavain. Now he didn't even have a bed to go back to.  
  
Thankful for the fire burning in the fireplace, he took off his tunic, rolled it up and laid on it for a pillow. He wasn't tired, though he had figured out that it had to be night as his friends had been asleep.  
  
Curling up into a ball he stared at where the fire was, lost in a blur of thought. He was still aware of when the door the two women had stepped into opened again, this time Catti-Brie stepping out. He could tell she was angry by how much sound she was making on her walk towards him.  
  
"Are ye happy by what ye did to the poor woman?" she snapped at him. "Ye hurt her badly. Lucky one of the healing potions she made earlier was still left over."  
  
"I didn't mean to hurt her." Drizzt replied, voice hoarse from his battle with tears.  
  
"I'll not be havin' an argument with yer back, Drizzt. Turn 'round an' face me." Catti-Brie was a little surprised that, while Drizzt did turn around, he kept his gaze to the floor.  
  
He heard Catti-Brie sit down in front of him and the gentle touch of her hand to his cheek as she rubbed at the salty line there.  
  
"I promise not ta yell at ye if ye tell me why." She said, voice soft, knowing all was not right with her closest friend.  
  
Slowly Drizzt turned his back on her and lay back down. He wanted to tell her, but he knew he wouldn't be able to if she was staring at his face. Like always, Catti-Brie picked up on this and didn't yell at him for turning her away.  
  
"I guess I needed to lash out at someone. It could have easily have been you." He began. "I was scared and angry and her touch came from out of nowhere. She asked if I was ok. Stupid question really. When she asked what I see . . . it just gave my mind the excuse it needed to punch out at someone."  
  
Catti-Brie nodded, though his back was turned. "I still don't fully understand why though."  
  
Sitting back up again and turning to face her, he reached a hand out to touch her cheek. Moving his thumb so it was right near her eye, he then stared straight at where her eyes were.  
  
Catti-Brie stared into his lavender eyes for what seemed an eternity. As he blinked once, it became apparent to her that something was wrong. Looking more closely she realised what. Though he was fully staring her in the eye, he gave no sign he was seeing her. Though his stare was intense, it was also blank. She gasped out loud when the realisation hit her. "Blind." She stated.  
  
Drizzt slowly nodded. He felt the warm embrace as Catti-Brie hugged him close. This small move by her, while reassuring him he still had friends, was enough to let his control slip. Then the dam broke.  
  
He started keening. Long wails he would have been embarrassed about if he was in the right state of mind. Colt let out a long howl, stating that he was awake. The wolf got up to look for the one making the sound.  
  
When the wolf noticed it was the strange looking elf, he whined and padded over to him. Drizzt was hardly aware of the furry body against his legs.  
  
Catti-Brie held on to Drizzt and let him cry on her shoulder. Making herself more comfortable, she began to slowly rock him, not exactly sure of what to do.  
  
A while later, she heard a door open and an angry-looking Bruenor stomped into the room. The dwarf was obviously about to yell at her, when he noticed Drizzt.  
  
Calming down somewhat, Drizzt heard the angry steps of Bruenor coming their way. He buried his face into Catti-Brie's neck and managed to say, "They left me."  
  
Bruenor stopped his strides to the two on the floor when he was glared at so fiercely by his daughter he unconsciously took two steps back. "What be that look fer?" the dwarf asked.  
  
"I'd be goin' back to yer bunk if I was ye." She stated. She felt weight leave her then as Drizzt let himself out of her grip.  
  
His tears finally stopping, he wiped furiously at his eyes. "Can you help me to the couch?" He mumbled the question, not really wanting to spend the rest of the night on the floor.  
  
"Suren I be helpin' ye." She said, before turning back to her adoptive father. "Who be leavin' him on the floor in the first place?"  
  
"Wulfgar. Durned elf deserved it after what he done ter Lyavain. We are guests here, ye know." Bruenor stated, sure he was right. Drizzt looked so miserable after what he said though, that the dwarf realised something else had played a part in the fight earlier. "Mayhap, ye had a reason? If ye did, we would all like ter be hearin' it."  
  
Drizzt stared at where the dwarf stood, before shaking his head, no.  
  
"Ye should be tellin' everyone." Catti-Brie told him.  
  
"In the morning. Can I get a little used to this . . . if that is possible." Slowly he gripped one of Catti-Brie's shoulders and pulled himself up to his feet. Colt was immediately at his other side, fur brushing against his free hand.  
  
Together they made their way to the couch in front of the fire. Drizzt was somewhat surprised to find a blanket and pillow there already, before he remembered that Lyavain had to have slept somewhere the past two days.  
  
Not that he believed he would get any sleep.  
  
He heard Bruenor going back into the room he had come out of and Catti-Brie sit at the chair she had been in before his . . . outburst. Lying down, he was rather surprised when the wolf hopped on the couch with him, the warm body soft and a great comfort to the frightened drow.  
  
He spent the remainder of the night awake, staring blankly at the blackness that used to be the ceiling.  
  
A/N - Sorry about that. I just couldn't resist a crying Drizzt. Or mentioning Jarlaxle somewhere, lol. I love that mercenary. Hmmm, which reminds me, does anybody else think of his name and Bregan D'aerthe whenever they hear the song "Prisoner of Society"? Sorry 'bout that.that song came on while I was typing this.  
  
Hey, the chapters to this story are getting longer. This one is my longest ever! So tell me what you think? Thanks to the six reviewers for the last chapter I wrote. I was pleasantly surprised at that.  
  
Ah well, next chapter. Does Drizzt tell the others or not? Why exactly is a wolf cuddling up to him? Why the heck is the wolf called Colt, surely someone is wondering.? 


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four  
  
Morning came with the sound of songbirds merrily chirping in the trees about the house. Covering his head with the pillow, Drizzt just wanted to blot the sound out entirely. The pillow dampened a lot of the sound, so when the smell of cooking food hit his nose, he wondered who was up.  
  
Two things entered his mind then. The first came with his growling stomach as he realised he was starving. The other came with the pressure building in his bladder.  
  
Groaning, going red from embarrassment - a state he had been in all too frequently of late - he realised that he would need help to get outside so he could relieve himself.  
  
Pulling himself into an upright position, the smell of food became stronger. The sound of humming coming from the kitchen made him chuckle. So it was Regis who was up and about. The halfling must have gotten permission to cook.  
  
He was about to call out to his little friend to help him when Colt moved putting his head against his stomach.  
  
"Colt, get off me." He whispered, suddenly aware that Catti-Brie was still asleep in the nearby chair. The wolf lifted its head, growled once, softly, and then put his head back down again. "Fine, lay on me all you want, but please get off my bladder."  
  
Huffing, the wolf rolled over and onto the floor, his snout pushing gently into Drizzt's hand. Confused, Drizzt petted the animal on the head. Growling slightly, the wolf grabbed at his pants and began to gently pull.  
  
Understanding lit up the ranger's face. Putting his hand on the wolf's back he stood up. "Lead the way." He announced quietly, glad that the animal was the one volunteering to take him out, though he thought it rather ironic.  
  
By the time he was done outside and had stepped back in, the grouchy grumbling of Bruenor had joined the happy humming of Regis.  
  
Determined to act as if nothing was wrong, he walked into the kitchen, hungrily licking his lips. He was led to a chair and sat down, but refused to look at any particular spot for too long.  
  
"Hope you don't mind soup for breakfast." Regis called out, happy to have free reign over the kitchen.  
  
Drizzt chuckled again. "I'm starving. Soup sounds brilliant and smells even better." To show he meant it, he took a deep breath of the soup- smelling air and licked his lips again.  
  
"Bah!" Grumbled Bruenor. "Soup not be right fer breakfast. It is all Rumblebelly can cook though."  
  
Regis laughed quietly at this. "Be thankful I can cook. Not as good as Drizzt maybe, but I can make a decent meal . . . soup or otherwise."  
  
"You like my cooking. I'm honoured." Drizzt replied, smiling slightly.  
  
"Mighten ye be makin' dinner fer us tonight, then?" Bruenor hopefully asked, obviously not happy with the halfling's cooking skills.  
  
Drizzt's smile suddenly turned into a frown at that. "I don't think so." He answered, suddenly wondering if he ever would be able to do so again. Sighing, he closed his eyes and shook his head. He shouldn't dwell on thoughts like that. He was hoping his sudden blindness would right itself in time.  
  
He was brought out of his introspection when a bowl of delicious smelling soup was put in front of him. A spoon following to be placed next to it. He shocked his two friends by lifting the bowl directly to his lips and draining the contents faster than looked possible. He asked for more.  
  
He drank another bowlful before finally picking up the spoon for the third helping.  
  
"Iffen ye keep on eatin' like that, ye'll end up as round as Regis." Came the voice of Catti-Brie. Laughter next to hers, rumbling deep in Wulfgar's chest, followed.  
  
"That is all we need. Two Regis'. Could you really imagine Drizzt that round though?" The barbarian said, in a lighter mood today.  
  
"Aye, an' I'll be bettin' he'll be as terrible with his eatin' as well." Bruenor announced, keeping the mood light.  
  
Drizzt laughed at the dwarf's comment. "And that coming from you, Bruenor. I thought I was too skinny and needed to eat more." He finished off his soup and sighed satisfied, his belly now full. "I can't remember the last time I ate, give me a break. I was starving."  
  
"We forgive you." Wulfgar said, though the look on Bruenor's face stated otherwise.  
  
Drizzt stayed at the table as the other's ate, listening to the conversation going on around him and speaking his own points and comments when he wanted to. It felt good to be acting so . . . normal with his friends.  
  
When the door opened again, he froze, siting up straight and staring at whatever was directly in front of him. Slowly, he lowered his head to his hands, suddenly thinking of the fight he had been in the night before. He groaned at how stupid he had been.  
  
Regis handed the elf a bowl of his soup to her and sat her down as far away from him as possible.  
  
"Gods, you will never know how sorry I am for attacking you like that." Drizzt said in an attempted apology. His mind kept telling him it wasn't enough though. "I am so sorry." He repeated.  
  
He felt her staring at him, trying to figure out what was wrong with him.  
  
She had an idea, but she couldn't yet be sure. She began to piece together anything she could get. First, he was avoiding not only looking at her but at his closest friends as well. Colt was sitting straight at his side, the drow's hand resting lightly on the wolf's back. Last night he had been clutching, quite scared, at the doorframe. He had started to say something but cut off his sentence, asking Catti-Brie where she was. When she had tried to touch him to calm him down, he had scuttled away from her. The biggest hint to her was when he had suddenly attacked her after she had asked him what he could see.  
  
She silently gasped in sudden realisation, her thoughts and ideas finally clicking into place. She stared harder at the drow, before lowering her head. "I forgive you. I will never forget, but I do forgive you."  
  
Drizzt was so surprised to hear Lyavain say that after what he had done to her that he jumped to his feet, sending the chair he had been sitting on to its side a few feet away. He had the sudden feeling of being on a tiny island that was quickly sinking.  
  
Without thinking, he took a step backwards. The brush of fur under his fingers from the forgotten wolf sent Drizzt back a couple more steps, only for him to trip over the chair. Once again he was overwhelmed by anger, this time directed at the chair and himself.  
  
This time though, he was determined not o lash out. A sneer made its way across his features and his hands balled in angry fist, but he managed to calm himself down rather quickly.  
  
His anger disappearing a few minutes later was replaced by a sudden feeling of resignation so strong, he thought of staying on the floor where he was until he died.  
  
His friends all became rather frightened when the light that lit up his lavender eyes, no matter how hard things got, was suddenly gone. A gentle sigh escaped his lips and Catti-Brie, with insight to what happened last night realised he was giving in. This was too much for him to handle with only one person knowing.  
  
She knew he had to get him to tell the others. It would probably help to let him know that he was not as alone as he felt.  
  
Walking over to him, he slowly turned his head to stare at where her feet should be. "Catti-Brie?" He asked.  
  
"Aye, it's me. Ye should be tellin' the others, ye know. Ye will probably feel better."  
  
He slowly shook his head, no. "You should all just go. Leave me here."  
  
He didn't move so much as a muscle as he felt the gentle touch on his shoulder, before he was pulled into a hug.  
  
"I'll not be leavin' ye." She said gently, letting the hug go to push him back at arms length so she could see his eyes. They remained without that spark of life.  
  
Again he shook his head. "I'll just hurt someone else. I'm useless now anyway. I can't even stand without falling down again."  
  
Catti-Brie found herself blinking away tears. "I'm not fer carin' if ye hurt me or not. Or if ye hurt Bruenor, or Regis, or Wulfgar. All I be knowin' is that ye've gotta stay with us, no matter how hard it gets. We'll always be here fer ye. Ye know that."  
  
A flash of that light finally appeared as her words sank in. "I'm sorry." He whispered, moving in to hug the human woman close. "It's just really hard to accept."  
  
Catti-Brie nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I'll help ye to yer feet."  
  
Nodding silently, he accepted the help. His feet felt like rubber and he had a hard time getting them underneath his body to get up even with the help. His thoughts were all hazy except for one. 'I have to tell them' kept repeating itself inside his mind.  
  
As soon as he was on his feet, he clung to Catti-Brie like a lifeline. "I don't think I can do this. How do I tell them? I couldn't even tell you out loud."  
  
"'Them' are all in the room too, you know." Called out Regis.  
  
"Aye, ye durned elf. Ye told me last night that ye'd be tellin' us what be wrong with ye." Though he was rather gruff by nature, the dwarf said this in such a way that it came out almost too kindly. Bruenor didn't care.  
  
"I don't know what you two were whispering while on the floor, but it is clear that something is wrong. Maybe telling us will help." Wulfgar added.  
  
While Drizzt's friends were trying to coax him into telling them what was wrong, Lyavain walked out of the room and then out of the house. She was quite glad when she found Colt waiting for her outside. Walking to a favourite spot of hers near a stream, she sat down on a long-ago fallen log and listened to the sounds of the forest around her. She had a bit of thinking to do.  
  
Back inside, Drizzt was trying to say what wrong, but was failing miserably. He had not once gotten past the 'I' in the three-word sentence.  
  
His anger flared again at his own stupidity. He let go of Catti-Brie, not wanting to hurt her, and stormed off. Arms slightly out in front of him, he wasn't surprised when he smacked into a wall. He hit the wall hard with his fists once, twice, thrice, until his hands were aching. He then began to trace the wall with his fingers trying to find the door.  
  
He heard Catti-Brie walking towards him. He turned sideways, keeping one hand on the wall, the other waving her away. "I can do this on my own." He growled out, determined not to be totally dependant on everyone else. He began his walking again when he felt Catti-Brie cross her arms.  
  
His three male friends were watching him in amused curiosity. Regis being smaller than the other two saw it when Wulfgar and Bruenor couldn't. Lyavain had left her chair out and in the way. Deciding to push it in, he was stopped by an irate Drizzt, who didn't want any help in what looked to the halfling like tracing the perimeter of the room with his fingertips.  
  
Catti-Brie grabbed her little friend and moved him away, telling him in no uncertain terms, not to tell Drizzt about the chair in his way.  
  
Gaining confidence that the door was close by, Drizzt picked up his pace, a small smile of satisfaction lighting up his face. He could do this! It was then that he hit the chair and once again ended up on the floor. He punched and kicked the piece of furniture into kindling almost.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me the chair was there!?" He yelled to the halfling.  
  
"You wouldn't let me move it out of the way." Regis said, his voice small, his friend making him feel shorter than his three-foot frame.  
  
"Catti-Brie? Why didn't you tell me?!"  
  
"Ye were determined ter do this all on yer own. That would include findin' anything in yer way and moving it. If ye had stayed at yer slower speed, ye wouldn't have fallen."  
  
"That is unfair. You know I couldn't see the damned thing. I'm blind for the Gods' sake."  
  
He could practically hear the smile that formed on Catti-Brie's face. It took him a few seconds to realise why. He had said it without even meaning to and what was worse, he had shouted it out loud for half the forest to hear.  
  
He wanted to find the door and disappear right now, the silence in the room driving him crazy. He found his legs stuck in what was left of the chair, keeping him where he was.  
  
He could feel himself beginning to shake as what he had said finally sunk in. It wasn't all some bad dream, and he suddenly had the feeling that even if it wasn't permanent, he would have to be waiting a while for it to heal.  
  
He didn't notice the silent tears as they fell down his face. He had only felt like this a few times and each time had been when someone he loved had died. They had all gotten back Wulfgar, but he was reminded of when they had lost him to the yochlol.  
  
This time, he didn't complain when he was freed from the wood on his legs and was stood up and led out of the kitchen. All four of his friends close by, comforting him. He managed to smile a little as Catti-Brie summoned Guenhwyvar there. All six stayed in relative silence, Drizzt and Guenhwyvar on the couch, the panther too big for it to be comfortable, but doing all she could to comfort her master.  
  
The other four realised that, even though nobody had died, their friend was grieving.  
  
Lyavain wisely left the group of friends to themselves and never went home that night.  
  
A/N - Sorry about the ending of this chapter. I didn't know how to write it properly. Hope it's ok. Looky, angst! I love angst. Lets hope he feels better soon, though. Thanks go to She-Cat, Alexandra Dragonhart, Shandrial, Katie, DragonEyeZ and LirielMe for reviewing. Oh, and sorry about the questions in the last chapter. I actually meant to take them out, ah well. As to those questions . . . look deeper, as there are more than one answer to most of them * winks *. 


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five  
  
The day slowly passed into night and the nocturnal creatures began to stir and rise. Drizzt's tears stopped long ago and now he was leaning against Guenhwyvar and staring off into space.  
  
His friends kept on thinking he had slipped into the reverie of the surface elves, but every time someone softly called his name to see if he was awake or not, his eyes would be immediately looking in their direction, just as alert as he always was.  
  
"What are you doing?" Wulfgar asked Drizzt as Regis went into the kitchen to get something for the small group to eat.  
  
"Listening." Was the answer the barbarian got, voice flat of emotion.  
  
That ended that short conversation.  
  
A few minutes later Regis came back, a plate laden down with pieces of cut up fruit and chunks of cheese. "It's not much, but at least its something." The halfling said, for once not feeling that hungry.  
  
"What is it?" Drizzt asked, disgust at having to ask heard in his voice.  
  
"Apple slices and cheese."  
  
Sitting up, his gaze kept on shifting about in front of him, frustrated that he couldn't see the food. He wasn't hungry, but the cheese sounded good. He knew this to be some kind of trick to at least get him to eat something, as his friends knew that he thought of cheese as a comfort food.  
  
Closing his useless eyes, he let his other senses roam and heard Regis putting the plate down. His hand shot out to grab at the plate and landed on a piece of apple. Picking it up, he let his hands wonder until they found a piece of the cheese he was looking for. Withdrawing his hand, he lay back against Guenhwyvar again, began to slowly eat his cheese and held out the apple slice to the panther.  
  
When the cat didn't take the apple, he got confused. "Don't you want it?" he asked. He felt the cat move, but instead of taking the apple slice offered to her, she took the cheese from his other hand.  
  
A surprised look came across his face. He gently turned the cat's face to look at his and he let a small smile cross his face. Guenhwyvar knew that look. Before she could jump away, the slight frame of Drizzt was wrestling with her, a game they played often.  
  
As always, the 600-pound panther won, pinning the dark elf to the floor and flicking her tail across his bare feet, accomplishing what all wanted to hear at that moment. Though having a hard time breathing through cat, Drizzt's melodic laughter filled the room.  
  
"Ok, Guen, you win. Get off me!" He cried out, suddenly unable to breathe at all as the cat moved slightly.  
  
As the panther moved off him and he got into a kneeling position, letting air back into his lungs, Guenhwyvar moved to his side. He felt the cheese the cat had taken from him land on his hand. His face crinkled in disgust at that. "Ugh, you can have it and the apple. Don't steal any more of my cheese."  
  
With that, he followed the sound of his friends and was soon again reaching for the plate. This time he ate the cheese he found fast, before a certain cat decided to steal it from him. He went to grab another slice, but instead found somebody's hand. By the size and feel of it, it belonged to Wulfgar.  
  
"Have you got cheese?" He asked, willing to fight for it at that particular moment.  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"There is none left."  
  
Drizzt pouted. Apart from one chunk and what Guen had stolen, his friends had eaten it all. Usually that wouldn't have bothered him this much, but right then he was . . . delicate.  
  
He closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths and began to slowly count to ten in Drow. If there was one thing he had learnt with this blindness, it was that he had one wicked temper, a rage he could barely control when it came upon him. It reminded him of the time he had spent living in the tunnels of the Underdark.  
  
"Bah! Forget the durned cheese. It not be that important."  
  
His eyes snapped open again to glare angrily in the direction of the dwarf who had dared to speak. In as gentle a voice as he could manage, he growled out, "It is comforting to me."  
  
Getting back to his feet, he realised that his wrestle with Guenhwyvar had him turned about and he didn't know where the couch was. Sighing in frustration, he began to slowly shuffle his way to the first piece of furniture he came across. He came across the chair Catti-Brie had slept in the night before. He sat down, pulled his legs up to his chest and laid his head on the armrest.  
  
"Drizzt?" Catti-Brie called out to him.  
  
"I'm tired." As if to prove the point, a huge yawn forced its way out of his mouth. "I want to be alone for a while." He muttered, though before he had fully finished the sentence he was asleep.  
  
As soon as the others realised he was asleep and not sitting down with his eyes closed, they all went off to do something to take their minds off their friend.  
  
Wulfgar began a fire in the hearth. Bruenor busied himself with the mindless task of cleaning up their breakfast things, which were still on the table in the kitchen. Regis ran into the bunkroom but came out again in a few minutes, the skull of a knucklehead trout in one hand and his knife in the other.  
  
Catti-Brie got the blanket that was on the couch and covered Drizzt with it. She realised that, even after his exhausting cry the night before, he had not slept since he had lost his sight. She went and sat next to Regis, who was busy turning the skull into a small bone wolf.  
  
"Is the wolf Colt?" she asked, not bothering to lower her voice. She was quite sure nothing short of an earthquake would wake the drow now.  
  
"Yep! I figured that the wolf would stay here, though Drizzt seemed to like him."  
  
This made Catti-Brie smile. "That is sweet of ye. I'm sure he'll like it."  
  
Regis shrugged and smiled. "That is the point of making it."  
  
The two soon became three as the fire was blazing brightly and Wulfgar joined them. "Do you think it possible to make something we would all enjoy? I remember seeing a deck of playing cards once, do you think you'd be able to make a deck with the numbers and patterns raised?"  
  
Regis looked to Wulfgar thoughtfully. "It would take a lot of trout, but if someone could sell me what I would need I will see what I can do."  
  
"When do ye think we be headin' home again? I know we be livin' in Mithral Hall again, but I miss the Dale." Catti-Brie said, sighing out her longing for the freezing winds and dangerous terrain she had grown up in.  
  
Wulfgar nodded, agreeing wholly with the woman. At first he had loved the Halls of Bruenor's ancestral home, but now - after his run-in with the yochlol - he also wanted to go back to the freezing plains of his people.  
  
Regis nodded sub-consciously, continuing the whittling of the bone. They immediately stopped their conversation as Drizzt moved slightly in his sleep, moaning something out in Drow, a language only he knew.  
  
Whatever he was dreaming, it seemed to be pleasant enough though and the three soon relaxed and began their talk again. Bruenor joined them soon after they began their talk of Icewind Dale again.  
  
"The kitchen be clean now!" The dwarf stated proudly, before remembering he had just cleaned up voluntarily. He immediately scowled. They fell into silence for a long time.  
  
They all jumped a mile when Drizzt started to shout out words in the drow tongue. "Xsa!" He tossed and turned for a bit as his dreams turned into nightmares. "Nau. Xuat, qualla xuat!"  
  
Catti-Brie was immediately at his side, trying to calm him down. Drizzt, however, gave a strangled cry and bolted awake, his eyes staring wildly about, forgetting he could not see. She watched as his vision switched from normal to infrared.  
  
After a few seconds of trying to toss off the female shaking him, he came more to his senses. It was plain to see he was still trapped in his dream world as he bent low, revealing his back and spouted off more words in his native language angrily at Catti-Brie. "Usstan phlith dos!" He shouted, before becoming silent once again.  
  
When it became obvious nothing was going to happen, he slowly let himself relax, not knowing if doing so would anger the Priestess standing over him.  
  
He closed his eyes and squeezed them as hard as he could. "Naut'kyn! Xxizz . . . usstan uil stre." He whined, before once again becoming silent.  
  
Catti-Brie decided to touch him now would be a stupid thing to do. She moved with a lot of noise so she was right in front of him. She wasn't surprised to see him tense up at her approach.  
  
"Drizzt? It only be me and yer friends here. Yerself would be the only drow."  
  
The effect this sentence had on him wasn't what Catti-Brie was expecting. She expected him to sigh in relief and let them know that he was as all right as possible. Instead, it looked to her as if he was just waking up for the first time, even though he had been awake for a while now.  
  
Yawning and stretching, Drizzt didn't feel as though he had slept for more than five minutes. He remembered dreaming about his time with Zak, then his dreams getting darker as he was being chased around the Underdark. By his oldest sister, Briza and Matron Malice, no less.  
  
"Ye awake now?" Bruenor asked, somewhere to one side of him. He turned, confused, to stare at where he thought his friend was and nodded.  
  
"Bad nightmares." Wulfgar stated, not bothering to make it a question. It was confirmed though when Drizzt sent a quick glance in his direction and again nodded.  
  
"What does Usstan phlith dos mean? You sounded really angry when you shouted that at Catti-Brie." Regis asked.  
  
Drizzt's eyes widened at that, before he ducked his head, flinching. It was that action, coupled with his silence that made them know it wasn't a nice thing to say to someone . . . in any language.  
  
"Well, it doesn't matter now. Ye should be getting' more sleep."  
  
Drizzt shook his head no. "I want a bath." He said, grimacing. "I'm dirty, I'm tired, my clothes are sticking to me and I smell like a wet dog. I need help, though. I don't know if there is a bath here or not."  
  
"There is." All four stated.  
  
With that, Drizzt sighed in relief and held out his hands. While he let Bruenor take his left hand, he shooed Catti-Brie away when she went to his right.  
  
"I'll go get the water ready." Wulfgar announced and left to do so while Bruenor followed slowly after him, leading the blind drow.  
  
The bath heated the water magically in minutes and before long Drizzt was clean and feeling more relaxed than he had since he found out about his ailment. He didn't reject the help to get out of the bath, or into the clean clothes, or into the sitting room once again.  
  
He began to struggle though when he was told that he was going to be taken back into the bedroom again. Even though he knew it would be more comfortable than the couch, he couldn't help but feel uneasy at the thought of going back into the room where he had woken up and realised he wasn't able to see. He kicked out in front of him and one foot connected with Wulfgar's knee.  
  
After that, he was taken back to the couch.  
  
"Guenhwyvar?" He called out, wondering if the panther was still around. The cat, who was getting tired from spending most of the day on the material plane still went to her master and friends side, willing to stay all night.  
  
Drizzt hugged the panther close and lay down. In what seemed to be seconds, he was in a deep, dreamless sleep that lasted the rest of the night.  
  
Regis and Catti-Brie watched as their friend slipped off to sleep. Then they, followed by Wulfgar and Bruenor entered the bunkroom. The three beds laid out in there were for the three males. Cattie-Brie decided to sleep in the bedroom tonight. Before sleep though, they needed to pack.  
  
When Drizzt was bathing, they had all decided to leave the next morning. Drizzt would be more comfortable in a place he was more familiar with. What better place in Faerün - in Toril! - was there than to take Drizzt than to Silverymoon, the place where his other friends, Delly, Alustriel and the spirited young girl Colson were all waiting for them to come back from their orc hunt.  
  
That and the hot baths with the scented oils. Since his bath that night had calmed Drizzt down immensely, they thought this was more important than even knowing friends were nearby.  
  
By the time their packs were all ready and waiting by the door ready for them the next morning, it was close to midnight and they were all tired.  
  
Soon, Drizzt wasn't the only one sleeping.  
  
A/N - Well, sorry this was so late. RL has been busy as of late. Well, I haven't forgotten this story. Just wanted to say thank you to my reviewers ChichiX (4 times, thanks for the reviews on all the chapters so far!) Miss Becky, Alexandra Dragonhart, carlin Robertson, Shandrial and She-Cat. You people are the best. I didn't think this story would do so well.  
  
Drow Translations - if wrong please tell me in a review or email me the proper words.  
  
Xsa - Damn  
  
Nau. Xuat, qualla xuat - No. Don't, please don't.  
  
Usstan phlith dos - I hate you.  
  
Naut'kyn - Blind.  
  
Xxizz - Help.  
  
Usstan uil stre - I am afraid.  
  
And for those curious people one to ten in Drow!  
  
Uss - One Draa - Two Llar - Three Quen - Four Huela - Five Rraun - Six Blyn - Seven Lael - Eight Thal - Nine Szith - Ten  
  
Oh, and sorry about the cheese thing . I have no idea where that came from. 


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six  
  
Lyavain was back in the house by the time they had all woken up. Drizzt was brooding, though he did manage to smile when the others told him they would be leaving for Silverymoon later that morning.  
  
She had brought with her two horses and two ponies, she also brought a companion . . . one Drizzt had met before. By the time they were about to set off, horses packed and waiting patiently, the elf introduced himself.  
  
Drizzt couldn't help but smile as Tarathiel told Catti-Brie, Bruenor, Wulfgar and Regis about the short time they had been together as travelling companions. He wondered out of the blue if he was riding the same horse.  
  
He asked the question aloud to Tarathiel, causing the Moon elf to laugh. "Yes. She likes you. Alas, I would have brought the unicorn for you to ride, but the beast won't let me see him."  
  
At that, Drizzt beamed. The thought of the caretaker of Montolio's Grove improving his dark mood incredibly well. "A beautiful creature he was too! I cannot believe he let me touch him."  
  
Tarathiel laughed again. "Yes, it was pretty unbelievable." After a short pause he added, "I see you are back in the saddle after all. You were positive you would never ride again."  
  
Drizzt winced at that unpleasant thought. "My stupid quest got a lot of people killed." He stated.  
  
"You did not cause that war!" Came an answering reply from four different voices, two carrying a strong Dwarven accent.  
  
Deciding a change of topic to be good, before his friends started to frown at him for feeling guilty, he shrugged and patted the horse's neck. As to what to say though he had no idea, his mind going blank.  
  
"Her name is Wind Dancer." Tarathiel stated. "A fine horse she is too!"  
  
Drizzt nodded. "What is your black's name?"  
  
Tarathiel laughed once again. " I call him Nightmare. He seems to like it."  
  
Drizzt smiled at that. "I bet. Was he named for his colour or his personality?"  
  
"Both."  
  
Drizzt nodded again and sighed. "Well, it was good to talk to you again. We will get to Silverymoon faster now with the mounts. I would like to get there as soon as possible."  
  
"I am going as your guide actually. While you may know the way, I think it wise if you stayed away from Quaervarr."  
  
After seeing blank stares on all faces except Drizzt's, he explained. "The village that you carried Drizzt from. Someone there wants you alive, yet incapacitated."  
  
Again, Drizzt nodded, a grim look on his face. "We take the long route around then." He sighed. "I just wish I could see where I was going. This is . . . infuriating." He growled, hitting his hands on his knees so as not to startle the horse he was sitting on. He felt a sudden desire to hop off Wind Dancer and run into the forest to get lost.  
  
He shook his head, knowing there to be dangers in the Moonwood he was not yet ready to face, mainly the werewolves. He imagined his friends finding his torn up body and shuddered. Yet, there was one instant where his mind betrayed him, thinking death better than this blindness.  
  
Sighing sadly, he stayed on the horses back as he passively waited for when they could leave. A few minutes later, everyone was settled and they set off.  
  
Drizzt closed his eyes and lifted his head to the sky, feeling the warmth of the sun caressing his face through the breaks in the trees. He felt happy and free every time he did this and now was no exception.  
  
When his face was becoming too warm, he lowered it and opened his eyes. For the second time in as many days, the sudden reality that he was blind hit him.  
  
A warm summer breeze was swaying the trees gently. The forest animals were heard scampering about the underbrush going on with their lives and staying away from the six travellers. The birds were once again singing their songs to the sky. And he couldn't see any of it!  
  
He let out a long, loud sigh and let the horse wander where she wanted to. Looking about, he was glad when he could hear the sounds of his companions' mounts. Once again he was thinking of running away. His own thoughts were beginning to scare him.  
  
Determined not to think more bad thoughts, he let the motion of the horse soothe him. It took his memory back to the time he had spent with Captain Deudermont on the Sea Sprite, the gentle rocking of the ship while he was falling asleep.  
  
But he wasn't asleep. His mind wandered to the third week he had spent on the ship with Catti-Brie. The woman had been seasick throughout the majority of the first week, and he had laughed. Deudermont told him then that even the best sailor gets seasick at one point.  
  
For two weeks he never once felt sick, in fact he was enjoying his time on the sea more than he thought he would.  
  
The first day of that third week though, he woke to feel the first stirrings of nausea, by lunch that day he was as sick as a dog and was physically dragged back to his bed.  
  
This had gone on with him for the longest two weeks of his life, him hardly budging from his bed. When his body finally got used to the continuous motion, the Captain had told him that he now held the record for worst case of seasickness aboard his ship.  
  
Now, with the horse rocking under him and all the sounds of a forest without the visual sight of one, not being able to discern where he was, that sick feeling was returning.  
  
Closing his sightless eyes, he tried to block out that feeling, but failed, the simple movement making it worse. Without much thought he stopped Wind Dancer, slid off and felt his way to a nearby tree, which he then leaned against. He slid to the ground and popped his head between his knees and took deep breaths.  
  
He barely heard the others get off their mounts and join him. A hand was felt on his back, gently rubbing. A few minutes later, the world stopped spinning and the ground under him was once more had and unmoving. Lifting his head, he grinned in embarrassed humour.  
  
"Sorry . . . the motion was making me feel sick." He announced, hearing an answering giggle from Catti-Brie.  
  
"Anything like at sea?" She asked.  
  
Drizzt grimaced. "Do not remind me of that. I already have been through those thoughts already once today."  
  
He closed his eyes and groaned, pushing those memories to the back of his head and hoping they would stay there.  
  
"Until you feel well enough to get back on the horse then, I vote we have lunch." Came the voice of Regis. Everyone actually agreed.  
  
They set off again a half hour later.  
  
By the time they had run out of sun with the coming of night and found a suitable camping spot, all six were miserable. The watches were set, a fire lit and their diner eaten with not one of them uttering a word.  
  
After their meal, Wulfgar, Regis and Catti-Brie went to their bedrolls and went to sleep. Bruenor, Drizzt and Tarathiel stayed up for a little while longer. Bruenor taking the opportunity to have a chat with his friend, the Moon Elf being first on watch.  
  
"Are ye ok?" Bruenor asked, when Tarathiel was further away.  
  
Drizzt shrugged. "As fine as possible, considering the circumstances." With a grimace, he added, "I'm sorry for ruining your clothes."  
  
Bruenor huffed. "If ye had stopped the durned horse, I might've known ye was goin' ter be sick."  
  
Drizzt shrugged, sighed and slowly made his way back to his resting place for that night . . . with a little help from the dwarf. Climbing inside, he stared into the nothingness that was now his world, before he closed his eyes and fell asleep.  
  
He never remembered having bad dreams, though a couple hours later he woke with a start. A stick was broken in two and he guessed thrown onto the fire, before he heard light footsteps. A voice followed, one with an elven accent.  
  
"Sorry if I woke you. You should go back to sleep, as we will be leaving early."  
  
Drizzt nodded in Tarathiel's direction, lay back down and closed his eyes. Unfortunately, he was awake now and couldn't seem to go back to sleep.  
  
Standing up, he told the elf he was going for a short walk. He took off before Tarathiel could reply. He made sure he didn't walk into trees, by keeping his hands in front of his body and taking small steps. He still managed to fall over a log, get stuck in a bush and his hair was soon a tangled mess with twigs intertwined with his white hair.  
  
Sitting down for a quick rest, he realised the walk had done its job, he was getting tired again. He turned around to go back, his gaze automatically falling to the ground. It suddenly hit him like a tonne of bricks.  
  
His skills he had learnt in becoming a ranger, especially those in tracking, were useless to him right now. He had never given a thought that he might not be able to follow his own trail back to the camp.  
  
His breathing became faster and harder as he realised that he was lost. Before he thought to call out to his friends, he darted off, running wildly in the direction he had been facing. His arm held out in font of him 'watching' for trees.  
  
Still, he managed to once again trip over a log. He landed heavily on his arms, hearing a loud crack but thinking nothing of it. Adrenalin got him back to his feet and running again, until exhausted, he had to stop. He found a tree very near him and sat down under it. A sudden and very sharp pain in his left arm was felt and he suddenly realised what had snapped.  
  
"Help!" He screamed, hoping to the Gods that his friends were nearby. A few seconds later, he heard his name being called and answered. A few minutes later, Wulfgar joined him.  
  
"There you are!" The barbarian replied, going over and sitting near his friend. He looked immensely relieved. "Come on, I'll help you back to the camp."  
  
Accepting the help stoically, he was soon beside Tarathiel as the elf began to bind his arm so the bone wouldn't move. He wasn't a healer though and Drizzt himself couldn't see the plants around him for something to relieve pain.  
  
He had even a harder time trying to sleep after that and being woken up a few hours later to start off again put him in an extremely cranky mood. At least this day he didn't feel sick.  
  
He was well aware that everyone were dancing around him, so much so that when he gave the sharp cry to stop, nobody listened to him.  
  
He heard the sharp twang of an arrow being loosed, and Bruenor's pony gave a shrill cry and reared in fright, depositing the dwarf to the ground. When the others saw the arrow sticking out of the tree right beside the pony's head, it was their first idea that someone or something was out there with them.  
  
"There are three out there. If I could scout around I would be able to tell you what, but unfortunately that is not going to happen any time soon." Drizzt announced, his voice dripping with hatred for this new condition that had robbed him of one of the few pleasures in his life.  
  
Tarathiel's ears pricked at that. "How do you know?" he asked.  
  
Drizzt frowned. "I can hear them. You are an elf, use your ears. They are as loud as mice in the walls."  
  
Tarathiel frowned back. "I cannot hear them."  
  
Drizzt scowled. "How bad is your hearing?!"  
  
Tarathiel was startled at that. "My hearing is fine."  
  
Drizzt glared in the general direction of the elf until the other . . . things in the wood moved out of his hearing.  
  
"They are gone now." He announced.  
  
For the rest of that day, the party hardly uttered a word, all busy trying to hear the sounds that there was something following them, or tracking them. They all had the feeling they were being hunted.  
  
Unfortunately, none of them knew just how right they were.  
  
A/N - Sorry this has taken so long, I was suffering from writer's block for a short while and then got a hundred ideas for short skits. Ah, well, it is updated, finally! Thanks to my reviewers. Ken - sai, Celtic-lyre, aurors, carlin Robertson (twice), tierl, LirielMe, Alexandra Dragonhart, Chichi X, and the Bladedancer. Thanks go to DragonEyeZ for beta reading! 


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven  
  
He couldn't get to sleep. Pain was a constant, making him toss and turn, but not being able to get comfortable. He rolled over only to bump into Catti-Brie who was sleeping beside him. He felt her stir awake.  
  
She mumbled something incoherent before uttering something he could understand. "Drizzt?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Are ye ok?"  
  
He growled. "I wish people would stop asking me that. I cannot sleep."  
  
Catti-Brie sighed. "So ye decided to wake me up."  
  
"I never intended to. I did not know you were this . . . close to me."  
  
There was a short silence. "Oh." She replied, before turning to face him. "Ye're in pain."  
  
He grimaced. "Yes. I should not have run like I did. I tripped."  
  
Catti-Brie chuckled at that. "Ye'll heal. The faster we get to Silverymoon the better." A hand was placed on Drizzt's cheek. "I don't like to be seein' ye in all this pain."  
  
Drizzt sighed, closed his eyes and leaned in to the touch. How his feelings were mixed up! He felt like grabbing her with his good arm and kissing her senseless, he also felt like turning around and hoping she would leave him alone for the rest of the night.  
  
A tiny part of him yelled out that she would now see him as weak and that part of him wanted to throttle her. That scared him more than anything.  
  
He froze. When her lips gently brushed against his, his mind stopped. So did his breath.  
  
Their next kiss wasn't as chaste as that first brushing of lips. He kissed Catti-Brie back this time and let his good arm wrap around her, his hand moving lightly through her hair.  
  
He could feel her own fingers running through his own mane. When her fingers found the point of one of his ears he gasped in sudden pleasure, let go and turned around.  
  
"Drizzt?" She called, wondering what had just happened.  
  
"Sorry . . . my ears." He answered, quite cryptically.  
  
"What about your ears?" She asked, lightly running a finger over one of the points.  
  
The move sent shivers down his spine and he let out a groan. "Sensitive." He muttered, his voice husky. He heard Catti-Brie giggle next to him and he knew she got his meaning.  
  
She moved to once again sit in front of him, grabbed his head and leaned down to once again kiss him. Passion rose and the kiss stopped only when they both needed air.  
  
"We could go somewhere more private." Catti-Brie told him, before once again claiming his lips in a searing kiss.  
  
When her words finally sunk in, he froze. "No." He whispered, finding it increasingly hard to think. "Not here."  
  
She nodded, though a disappointed look came into her eyes. She was actually glad for a second of his blindness, so he couldn't see her reaction. "Aye. Maybe later then?"  
  
He smiled. "Maybe." Moving deeper in to his bedroll, he was thankful that the warmth that now thrummed through his veins kept the pain in his arm to a minimum.  
  
He managed to fall asleep not too long after and woke with the dawn the next morning, his arm once again shooting pain through his body. That wasn't enough to stop the strangely good mood he was in.  
  
He could feel eyes on him and knew that once again his mood change had everyone staring at him. Mounting Wind Dancer, he was glad that Tarathiel had put his arm in a sling.  
  
The day was pleasant and company good. Drizzt forgot about many of his worries and spent the time jesting with his friends. Following his heart he had the most Elvish desire to sing. The others were glad that he had at least a good voice for singing and soon, Tarathiel joined in.  
  
"Elves and their damnable songs!" Grumbled Bruenor, though he smiled as he found the sight of his drow friend's light mood heartening.  
  
Drizzt laughed. "Dwarves and their stone. I spent my childhood under more rock than you could imagine and still don't understand that obsession."  
  
The others soon joined in the normal friendly banter. Catti-Brie saying women were better than the men in most races, giving Drizzt a good laugh at her impression of a drow priestess.  
  
Regis made some comment about thieves and halflings. About how their small size and abilities made them more important than fighters, as they could remain unseen.  
  
Wulfgar made a comment about barbarian strength being more than that of any other race, except for maybe the giants. He then proceeded to have a friendly wrestling match with everyone else just to prove he was right.  
  
Tarathiel didn't know what to say. He laughed at the jibes the five friends could say about each other's race without feeling the least bit insulted. He felt strangely parted from their fun.  
  
This went on for several minutes, before Drizzt realised that the elf hadn't joined them in their game. "What are you thinking about Tarathiel?"  
  
The Moon Elf sighed. "Your playful bantering. Drow . . . my family."  
  
Curiosity burned in Drizzt's eyes. "Your family?"  
  
Tarathiel stared ahead of him, his eyes cloudy. "Yes . . ."  
  
Drizzt cocked his head to one side, waiting for the elf to continue. When it seemed no more answer was coming he couldn't help but ask his question. "Where are they?"  
  
Tarathiel snorted. "I remember it happened on a winter's night. I had left my home to pick the fruit that my wife wanted for that night." He paused and shifted slightly in his saddle. "By the time I got back, the whole village was in an uproar. Five drow were near the entrance, a small raiding party really. They had tried to flee, but had been cut down on their exit."  
  
Again he paused, this time the silence was long and uncomfortable. "Only two elves were killed. My wife and 10-year-old daughter. It was a hard time for me and for a moment I went completely mad from grief. If the drow weren't already dead, they would have been killed several times over by the time I was through with them."  
  
The other five members of the party looked horrified at what had happened. "You're daughter . . . she was only ten?" Drizzt asked, before clamping his hand over his mouth. "I'm sorry. You do not have to answer that."  
  
Tarathiel didn't. His mind was filled with images of his family now, thoughts he had not entertained in quite a while. He hated when he had enough time on his hands to think about them.  
  
Horrified at what he had just said, Drizzt was lost in his own thoughts, trying to think up something that could comfort the elf. So lost in the thoughts that Tarathiel had given them all, the party was all taken by surprise when they walked into the sudden ambush.  
  
The sun now high in the sky did not seem to stop this pack of werewolves. All were in their much stronger hybrid form, the twisted half human-half beast shape that the creatures were famed for.  
  
Drizzt quickly drew Twinkle out of its sheath with his good hand, more comfortable with the elven-forged weapon in his hand. He heard an angry growl coming from right next to him and he quickly lifted his scimitar, only to almost have his arm pulled out of its socket by the strength of the creature. Still, he somehow managed to stay on his horse and battle the creature, glad now for the lessons he was given for fighting in complete blackness, even if it was just for short periods of time.  
  
Every one in the party was having their own private battle with their own werewolf. Even little Regis was busy bludgeoning one on the head with his unicorn shaped mace.  
  
The battle was over quicker than it had started, three of the monsters falling dead, the others running for the safety of their own kin.  
  
Drizzt was breathing hard, winded from the fast paced fight he had just been a part of. His foe had gotten away along with Regis' and, to his ultimate shame, Bruenor's. All were exhausted.  
  
A hiss of pain was heard as the adrenalin of the battle wore off. Catti- Brie let out a small shriek, while the other's all gasped. Drizzt looked on curiously. "What happened? Is everyone ok?" The answer he got shocked him. Tarathiel, lost more in thought than the others, had been bitten.  
  
While the wound itself was not too deep, the chance that he would be infected with lycanthropy hung over all their heads.  
  
Even if Drizzt could have seen the wound, he wouldn't have been able to do anything more than bind the wound and pray to Mielikki that he would be ok. He heard the thud of something hitting the ground. Slowly he slid off Wind Dancer and slowly walked toward the noise he had heard. The sound of someone getting up off the ground was unmistakeable.  
  
"Are you alright?" He asked, before realising he should have kept quiet.  
  
"Fine!" Came the curt reply form the elf. Tarathiel glared, before moving into the wood for a while, leaving the other five behind. Soon he came back, his arm wrapped well in a plant the elf knew well.  
  
Drizzt could identify it by smell alone. He knew it was a healing plant used to ward off infection. "How do you know about that particular plant?" He asked, knowing Tarathiel was no healer or ranger.  
  
"I am a Moonwood elf. Attacks from the werewolves are always feared, though usually they live up more to the north. This plant has been known to stop the curse from taking hold. I have been bitten before and was not inflicted. I should be fine now as well."  
  
Drizzt nodded and smiled. Tarathiel completely believed what he was saying, his voice filled with confidence. He had heard of this plant before as it was one that could be found in the grove he had learned his skills in.  
  
There was a collected sigh from all six of them as the danger now seemed to be completely over and no one was injured too badly.  
  
Hopping back on their horses, the small company set off again, only stopping when the sun had set and vision was obscured to all but the Moon Elf.  
  
They would make it to Silverymoon sometime the next day. This was hoped for to all.  
  
A/N - Wow!! Look, it has been updated! Thank you to my reviewers, especially you loyal people who have not missed one chapter yet * hugs reviewers *. 9 people reviewed the last chapter. That is a record for this story and I thank you all.  
  
Ok, so special thanks to those nine. Alexandra Dragonhart, ChichiX, LirielMe, Carlin Robertson, celtic-lyre, Lady Cinnibar, She-cat, Brandi and Katie.  
  
As to those people asking why I haven't mentioned much of Montolio . . . just wait, he will come into play later on. Not in the physical sense obviously, but he will be mentioned a lot. 


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight  
  
Silverymoon was as grand a place as always to the five who could see it. To Drizzt it was a deafening, frightening place full of unknown troubles. As soon as they had entered the city, he had wanted nothing more than to run screaming back into the Moonwood.  
  
When he was gently led into the palace that was home to Alustriel, he sighed in relief at the drop in noise. That didn't stop the pounding in his head that matched the rhythm of the throbbing in his arm. By the time he was led to his room, he wished for nothing other than a dagger to the back to ease him out of his pain and misery.  
  
Once again his mood had changed, this time back to cranky drow. He was tired, as once again he hadn't slept the night before, and all he wanted was to be left alone. Luckily his friends saw this and left him to his introspection.  
  
Five minutes later, he began to doze off, the comfortable silence making him very drowsy. That, along with the sleepless night, soon had his eyes drooping closed. In next to no time, he had fallen into a deep sleep.  
  
He didn't wake until the next morning. The sun had disappeared behind a thick layer of cloud and rain was gently falling onto the parched land. Summer in Faerun could be just as harsh in some places as winter. The mountainous places he ended up living in were no exception.  
  
Drizzt stretched, happy to hear the fall of rain on the windows of his room. Having slept in a proper bed, instead of having hard soil under his back, improved the formidable mood he had been in the day before. For once, he was content to lie in bed and let the day pass around him.  
  
He had just decided to go listen to the rainfall at the window when Alustriel decided to visit him. With a large breakfast tray packed with food, she gently made her way towards her drow friend.  
  
"Good morning! Since you slept through dinner last night, I thought you might be hungry." The woman announced, giving the tray over to Drizzt.  
  
"Thank you." Was all the reply he gave. Feeling the weight of the tray, he realized he would not be eating it all. Shifting slightly, he was rewarded with the sound of cutlery clanging. Picking up what he hoped to be a fork, he began to eat.  
  
The food was excellent and soon he had had his fill and gave the tray back to Alustriel. Without so much as a word, she once again took the tray, this time leaving the room and its drow occupant alone.  
  
Without much thought, Drizzt moved to the window and stared blankly out of it. The weather was beginning to resemble his emotions was his guess, as the sudden downpour was beginning to make him sad.  
  
He let his tears fall. So caught up was he in the emotions storming inside him, he never heard the door open. A minute later and he found himself being comforted by his new elven friend.  
  
Tarathiel stayed with him until the angry tears had stopped. Believing he would feel like an idiot after, he was surprised when he ended up feeling a little better. Wiping away the traces of tears, he soon looked in the direction of the elf holding him and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. I guess I needed that."  
  
The moon elf chuckled and let go. "That's ok. You are still trying to get used to everything that has happened. I would not be able to take it as well as you have."  
  
Drizzt frowned. "I would not say I am taking this well at all. Sometimes . . . I keep on thinking that death might be better than this. I scared myself the first time that thought came into my head." He sighed. "Those thoughts stopped thankfully."  
  
Tarathiel nodded, understanding of a kind shining in his eyes. "It is hard to live with, but you will live. I had similar feelings and thoughts when my family was killed."  
  
Drizzt didn't know what to say so he kept his mouth closed, once again listening to the sounds of rain falling. Now it felt nice to be sharing the quiet with someone but a conversation he had a while ago with Bruenor popped into his head.  
  
"Have you made very many friends with the shorter lived races?" He asked, wanting to know if the only other elf he had ever trusted had been friends with a human before.  
  
Tarathiel shifted on his seat. "Not really. I mainly stay with the elves in the Moonwood or the surrounding areas. 'Stick to your own kind or you will be hurt' was a saying I was always told as an elfling. I had a restless spirit and couldn't keep still for very long. Wanderlust took me at an early age . . . I traveled, went back home and settled down."  
  
Drizzt listened to the Moon elf's words and a dull ache of loss began in his heart. "I truly am a fool am I not?! Why can I not find someone who will stay with me for centuries instead of a few decades." He sighed loudly. "What a foolish thing to do . . ." He muttered the last to himself quietly.  
  
"What did you do?" asked Tarathiel.  
  
Drizzt stared at the elf. "I made friends with them, I love them for always being there. I fell in love with one of them in a deeper way and now . . . I am so confused with everything right now."  
  
Tarathiel stared at him, like as if he was going insane. "I don't know what to do! I have never felt like I do for Catti-Brie with anyone before. I'm so young and now I need all of my friends more than ever and I am afraid that I might make things worse if I act on my feelings." He stopped to take a deep breath, looked down at the sheets still covering him, before burying his head in his hands. "What do I do?"  
  
Tarathiel shrugged, knowing full well that Drizzt couldn't see the action. Silent support was what the drow needed right now. Someone to be with him as he thought his way through his problems.  
  
Drizzt sighed after a time and went to stand. "Thank you for listening to me. Even if you do think me mad." He said, before making his slow way towards the door. As his hands found the wood of the doorframe, he smiled. He would be able to do this. He just needed patience.  
  
Opening the door, he was surprised to run into someone standing next to the door on the other side. "The Lady asked me to take you to see her." Came an unfamiliar voice of a female guard.  
  
Sighing, he nodded. Of course she would have to have known about his current ... ailment. The thought that he didn't tell her himself made his anger rise again. Not being careful, he walked into an open door and sprawled across the floor.  
  
The guard didn't know what hit her as she tried to help him up. All she knew was there was a crazy drow in front of her.  
  
Drizzt lashed out. Much like he had done to Lyavain, but the guard knew how to protect herself. In no time it seemed to Drizzt, he tired out. Panting for breath he got to his feet and started to walk off to where he thought Alustriel's room to be.  
  
Fortunately, Alustriel had heard the fight and waited outside the door for her friend in trouble. Drizzt scowled in her direction, when she called out his name. She frowned back, not fully understanding why he was beating up her guards.  
  
"Come in here and sit down." She said, before going back into the room, she then watched every stumble her drow friend took to reach the chair in front of her. She kept almost constantly tapping her foot so Drizzt knew where she was.  
  
"This is very difficult. You realize that, do you not?!" Drizzt spat out, before he could stop himself. He crossed his arms and leaned down into the chair, aware he was acting like a child, but not caring.  
  
"You are angry. I don't understand what you are going through, but I understand that anger. You just want what ails you to go away."  
  
At this, Drizzt stood back up again and began to pace, counting his steps so he didn't go further than he felt he needed to. "Of course I want this over with. Losing my sight for any given moment of time was not something I had ever planned on happening. I am scared, I am angry, I cry over the most stupid things...."  
  
Losing the chair in his pacing, he sat down on the ground and buried his head. He refused to let tears fall again, not so close to the last time. Breathing deeply, he managed to calm down. "Please, I beg, make it better." He was suddenly groveling at the Lady's feet.  
  
All attempts at keeping his emotions in check crumpled like he himself did. Within seconds he went hysterical, not knowing why only that he didn't want to think what would happen if she couldn't fix his eyesight. He laughed shrilly, even as once again the angry tears found their way down his face.  
  
Soon the laughter stopped and, unlike the other times, he couldn't stop crying. This was it! If she couldn't help him, then he doubted anyone could.  
  
He didn't want this! He wanted to be running insane into a lair of giants, or battling a dragon with all his friends by his side. He wanted to go back to the caves of Mithral Hall and hunt the goblins that live in the lower tunnels. He would rather fight every drow from Menzoberranzan, but at the same time, he wished for fishing by one of the lakes in Ten Towns, living a quiet life.  
  
All he truly wanted was his sight back.  
  
His sobs were picking up a crowd, as he soon had his friends by his side, including Delly Curtie and little Colson.  
  
It was nice not to be alone while he was breaking down. A part of him was glad he had his friends by his side, while the other part of him desperately wished his friends didn't have to see him so...weak.  
  
He wasn't aware enough to hear a word any were saying, too caught up in the sudden release of pain he had been trying to hide for days. He had cried, yes. He had released tears and anger, but this was something even more deep.  
  
All his doubt, fear, anger, confusion and even a little of his hope was being released. There was no calming this storm down.  
  
After a long while, his body decided it had had enough and he was left exhausted on the bed in Alustriel's private room. His friends were all talking quietly to the Lady of Silverymoon. He couldn't be bothered trying to listen.  
  
Feeling like the world was about to end, he drifted asleep.  
  
A/N - Wow! Look, updated. Sorry it took so long. This chapter has been on my computer for a while now, it just wouldn't upload (damn ff.net!) Hope you all enjoy!  
  
Thanks again to my reviewers. Again there were 9. Awww, I really love you people. Lol, so thanks to Dark Elf, LunaLillium, Katie, Sirithiliel, ChichiX, Nebethut, Alexandra Dragonhart, DragonEyeZ and Carlin Robertson. You people are so kind to me. Please don't forget to review again! 


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine  
  
Drizzt was not in the best of moods. For one whole week, he had hardly bothered to get out of his bed, he only ate when someone forced him to and sleep alluded him completely. He hadn't spoken at all since he broke down.  
  
Not even Catti-Brie could get him to break his silence.  
  
There was another problem coming up that had everyone nervous. The full moon. Tarathiel decided that to be on the safe side, he would lock himself up in a steel cage in the dungeon. Drizzt hoped the elf had not been afflicted with Lycanthropy.  
  
Shifting slightly in the bed and sighing, he got up and headed for the bathing room. A bath was made for him every day, but this was the first time he would use it.  
  
Walking very slowly and fighting the urge to get on all fours and crawl there, it took him three doors before he found the right one.  
  
He had forgotten clean clothes. Shrugging out of the dirty clothes he was in, carefully making his way to the bath and gently lowering himself into the water, he let the scented and bubbled water do its work calming him.  
  
He had sat in the water for a good half-hour before he even bothered to wash himself of the dust, dirt and grime of a week that was clinging to him.  
  
After cleaning himself, he had to admit to feeling better. He even felt up to a small walk, something his legs needed as to start working properly again, as the small trek to the bathing room adjoined to the bedroom had been hard enough on his unused legs.  
  
Getting out of the bath was a whole lot harder than getting in. He was wet, his grip slipping constantly, while he was trying to stand to get out.  
  
After a few long minutes of trying he finally succeeded, but now he was exhausted.  
  
"My walk can wait for later," He muttered to himself as he slowly made his way back into his bedroom. He immediately collapsed onto his bed, before realizing how filthy the bedsheets had become. Getting back up again, he decided that regardless of exhaustion, he needed to find a clean bed to sleep in.  
  
Moving slowly around the room, he was glad that the first door he came in contact with was the door out of his rooms. He didn't remember the passage from his room to Lady Alustriel's to be so long though...  
  
He was what he thought to be close to her room when he heard a gasp behind him. Spinning about, he realized the reason why...he had forgotten to put clothes on and was wandering about the palace in nothing but a towel.  
  
"I see that you finally got out of your bed." Alustriel said, moving close to the drow and wrapping her arms around him. "Though if you want to go wandering around the palace, might I suggest some clothing?"  
  
Drizzt fought hard to stop himself from blushing fiercely. "I was trying to find your room to ask if there was a clean bed I could sleep in..."  
  
"All you have been doing is lying in a bed. This small walk of yours will do you the world of good."  
  
"Maybe, but I have not slept...I guess my bath was enough to calm my senses. I am extremely tired."  
  
"Well, you should realize then, that you walked right by my door."  
  
Drizzt's smile faded at that. He should have realized! "Please say you can help me?!"  
  
Alustriel's grip tightened a little before she let go. "Of course I will try to help you. You have friends here too and they will try to help you all they can."  
  
Sighing, Drizzt nodded. "I feel horrible for the way I have been acting...I just...I needed time alone." He shifted from foot to foot for a while before confessing his feelings.  
  
"I am scared. I am so afraid that this will be permanent. What will become of me if it is? I know I can still fight, but my other skills...that night I broke my arm, I just went for a small walk. I wasn't worried about becoming lost, because to me tracking is like second nature. I was good at it. When I turned round to go back and found myself staring at the darkness that should have so easily shown my own steps I panicked and..."  
  
"You ran off." Alustriel finished for him, placing a hand on the arm he had broke and squeezing it gently. He only then realised it had been healed. "It is alright to be frightened, just as it is alright to cry. Now, I'll lead you to a guest room and will have your sheets cleaned for tomorrow night."  
  
Drizzt smiled in the Lady's direction. "Thank you. For everything."  
  
"Sometimes you need to talk of your feelings to feel better. Sometimes you need time alone, you will talk to the others tomorrow won't you? They are worried."  
  
Drizzt nodded. "Yes, I will. I feel that I owe everyone an apology and explain why...if I can."  
  
Alustriel smiled at that before leading him to a guest bedroom closer to the quarters his friends were staying. Helping him to the bed, watching as he crawled beneath the covers and discarded the towel, she made sure he was comfortable before speaking again.  
  
"I will always be near if you need to talk." She said, glad to see a sleepy but true smile on the drow's face.  
  
"Thank you." Drizzt mumbled. "For the room and for the talk. It helped..."  
  
Alustriel smiled down at him as seconds after the words left his mouth he was in a deep sleep.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Someone was nudging him. Rolling over, he pulled the sheets right up under his chin and ignored whoever it was. Still the nudging persisted and he gave a great sigh as he realised there would be no more sleep for him that day. He pulled the blanket down to his chest, stating he was awake.  
  
"Ok I am awake!" He grumbled, still half asleep. Another nudge, this time to his exposed face, was followed by a wet tongue. He smiled as he realised that someone had let Guenhwyvar into his room.  
  
"I'm sorry, Guenhwyvar. I should have let you roam about the material plane for a bit. I...have been ignoring everyone. Please don't be mad at me." With that, he threw his arms around the cat and hugged her close.  
  
He knew as he felt her move a bit, that she was licking one of her gigantic paws. He chuckled slightly at this. "I knew you would forgive me."  
  
The slight movement of the licking stopped and the weight of the wet paw was draped around his shoulders.  
  
He heard the slight noise of the door moving and quickly looked in that direction. A chuckle was heard in the general direction of the door.  
  
"So, he's talkin' again. I be hearin' it with me own ears." Came the annoyed voice of Bruenor.  
  
"I am so sorry." Drizzt said quietly, head down with shame.  
  
"Ye got nothin' ter be sorry about. Ye didn't know how to cope with all ye was feelin' and ye did what yer body wanted...to have a time-out from everything for a bit." Catti-Brie called from behind the dwarf.  
  
Drizzt closed his eyes. While that was probably true, it didn't sound truly....right to his ears. "I should have talked to you when you were talking to me..."  
  
"Could ye hear us?" Bruenor asked.  
  
Drizzt shrugged. "Yes...though I could not reply, even if I had wanted to. I guess what Catti-Brie said was true...my body shut down to..." He stopped there, lost on the right word to say. Cope didn't sound right, although that could be his pride talking.  
  
Shrugging, he gave up trying to find the word he was looking for. "I am still sorry."  
  
He heard the light steps of Catti-Brie walk towards him, even as the heavy tread of Bruenor faded away, closing the door behind him as he left. There was a short, uncomfortable silence before Catti-Brie walked the rest of the space to the bed.  
  
"Ye will get through this, Drizzt Do'Urden, even if it is permanent. Ye will just have to learn to do things on yer own again. Maybe we could even find ye an animal companion to help ye walk about more easily."  
  
"Guen..."  
  
"Guenhwyvar is a good friend, yes, and an animal, but she cannot be by yer side all the time."  
  
Drizzt sighed again. He was beginning to think that was one of the only sounds he could make apart from talking, he did it so often nowadays. The heavy paw lifted off his shoulders as the cat in question decided to make herself comfortable by laying on his lap.  
  
"I be thinkin' somethin' more along the lines of Colt."  
  
"A wolf?"  
  
"Yes. They are dogs, and rather intelligent animals." There was a slight pause before she continued talking, changing the subject entirely. "Wulfgar and Regis will be visitin' ye later on this morning. I'll let ye rest a bit more if ye want."  
  
Drizzt smiled and lay back down, his legs getting sore from the weight of the panther strewn across them. "I am awake now, but I think I will stay here for a bit longer."  
  
"Ok." The woman replied, before reaching over and kissing him gently on the mouth. "See ye when yer up and about then."  
  
With that, Drizzt heard her leave the room, giving him time to be alone with Guenhwyvar who was demanding attention. A smile was on his lips and stayed there until Regis and Wulfgar entered the room to talk.  
  
All of a sudden he felt a whole lot better.  
  
A/N - I had no idea how to finish this chapter and, if you ask me, it shows..the first part though, hehehe, I just thought it would be very funny to see a blind Drizzt running about the palace with nothing but a towel wrapped around him.  
  
Anyhoo, thanks go to Lillian and Lime, LirielMe, ChichiX, Dark Elf, LunaLillium, carlin Robertson, Lady Cinnibar, and she-cat. You people are the best * hands out cookies to reviewers *. Hope you all enjoy this chapter too, it was hell to write, suffered a little case of Writer's block. 


	10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten  
  
Drizzt had a good day as far as it had gone. He was allowed to rest for a while longer after his talk with Wulfgar and Regis, he had a walk around the room with the help of Catti-brie, just so he could try to memorize the setting of it and nobody got angry with him when he had started to yell when he realised that it wouldn't take a few hours to learn how to walk unaided, even in a small room.  
  
Alustriel came to him herself sometime during the lunch hour. She had arrived just after he had woken up again after exhausting himself with his walk, and the yelling fit that had come afterwards.  
  
"I hear you have talked to your friends. I hope that there is something that I can find to bring back your sight...just know that this could be temporary even if I do not." She stated, before closing the door and entering fully into the room, taking a seat by the bed.  
  
Sighing Drizzt nodded. "I do know that this might only be temporary...it is a little hard to get around at the moment though, regardless." This last was said with a smile, as he knew the Lady would have heard his screaming from the other side of Silverymoon.  
  
Alustriel smiled back. "Come. Your friends have a small surprise for you." She stated, getting up and laying a hand gently on the drow's shoulder. He got up then, dressed in his usual tunic and pants, the heavy winter cloak left in his trunk back in his room in Mithral Hall.  
  
Walking with small steps - the bracers which he used as anklets left discarded in his rooms as they made walking difficult as his feet seemed to carry him too fast with them on - the two slowly made their way to one of the large sitting rooms of the Palace where every one had been relaxing.  
  
"Drizzt, there ye are." Came the voice of Catti-Brie off to one side, steering him in that direction through all the noise of the room. He realised to his pleasure that he had made it all the way to the human woman by himself just off her voice calling to him.  
  
"We've been makin' ye a present or two." Came the gruff voice of Bruenor close to his left.  
  
"Hopefully, you will like them..." That was Regis, Drizzt noted, turning his blank gaze down to where his small friend was standing. The halfling's voice was surprisingly nervous. He had only sounded like this once before, when Regis had given him the unicorn necklace he wore always around his neck, showing his god proudly to all to be Mielikki.  
  
Drizzt grinned. "Well, what are they then?" He asked, hearing a giggle coming from the young girl, Colson. The patter of her running feet coming towards him made him smile. That child had such energy!  
  
"Hold out your hand Uncle Drizzt." She demanded, calling him uncle like she always did, he wasn't really, though he was the closest thing she had to one.  
  
Doing as the child bid, a small figurine was dropped into his hands. His smile faltered a bit, forming into a curious look. Slowly, he felt the small, almost perfect statuette of a small wolf. He smiled wider this time. "Regis, thank you. It is brilliant."  
  
"It's based on Colt." Wulfgar replied. Drizzt nodded, remembering the wolf who had helped him around the small cabin of Lyavain's in the Moonwood.  
  
"There be one more." Catti-brie said, walking towards him again. He once again held out a hand, surprised when a small leather case was dropped into his hand, obviously full with something that was surprisingly heavier than one might think for such a small pouch.  
  
"Ye've got to be openin' it, ye durned elf!" Bruenor grumbled, impatience in his voice. He obviously wanted to see Drizzt's reaction to this gift.  
  
Opening the pouch, he reached in and took out what felt like a lot of small, rectangle shaped bits of scrimshaw, each piece thin, yet very strong. The confused look came back to his face as he tried to think of what they could possibly be.  
  
"What is it?" He asked, in a tone that stated he truly would like to know.  
  
"It's a pack of cards...we thought of something that we could all enjoy. I am quite...the expert to what they look like and made a deck we can all play with." Regis said, his voice high in his nervousness.  
  
"Oh..." was all the answer the halfling got. "How..."  
  
"Kneel down." The small halfling said and Drizzt did so. Slowly, the cards were taken out of his hands, and a lone one was pushed into his palm again. His other hand was moved gently to the card, Regis being slow and precise as he moved the drow's sensitive fingers over one side of the card.  
  
Drizzt blinked. He could feel a number that had been raised, cut into the bone around it, so the number was perfectly formed and the rest of the card, with the exception of its suit was smooth.  
  
"This must have taken you ages to make," Drizzt breathed, amazed that his friends could think of something like this for him. At least he wouldn't get bored.  
  
"All this week and on the way here...though only when we were camping." Regis stated, pride for his work evident in his voice.  
  
"Now all I have to do is learn to play." Drizzt stated, hearing a chorus of the same sentence said by most of his friends.  
  
Regis laughed. "I can teach you all. I did grow up in Calimport after all."  
  
Deciding that now was better than never, he started stating the rules to the group of interested people. Colson deciding to learn to play herself. Drizzt had the funny feeling that cards wasn't the only thing the halfling would be teaching the young human girl, as she was already picking her way through inferior locks with ease and only four years old she was! It was also plain to see that Delly wasn't too thrilled with the thought of raising a thief.  
  
After they all got acquainted with the four suits, they started a quick game, two partnering together to make it easier for them to all learn the rules.  
  
Drizzt let his fingers see for him what was on the cards, knowing it would be pointless to ask what the cards were. He was playing with Regis, as it seemed more fair to everyone, just in case he went to throw down a card he thought was something else.  
  
Everything went fine. The game was rather addicting and soon the five companions joined by Colson, were ready to play without partners, understanding the basic rules.  
  
Unfortunately, without someone looking over his shoulder and guiding his hand to the right cards, Drizzt found that he was having a hard time playing.  
  
Trying to think and sort out the number his fingers were currently on he closed his eyes, knowing to be looking for a certain number six card he was sure he had a minute ago. Not finding it now he was getting angry.  
  
In all the seven cards he had, he was now certain he didn't have a six at all. He lost all patience, threw his hand down and wandered away from the group of confused friends he had left behind.  
  
"What's wrong with Uncle Drizzt?" He heard Colson ask the group.  
  
"He gets frustrated easily Colson. Things are a bit harder for him now than they used to be without being able to see." Wulfgar explained to his daughter.  
  
"Oh. Regis made me try to pick a lock once with a blindfold on. It was the same lock I knew I could pick easily, as I always had, but I couldn't do it with my eyes covered...is it like that Daddy?"  
  
Drizzt let out a bark of angry laughter. "Colson, do you want to know what this is like? If you promise not to take the blindfold off you can learn for yourself." He stated, taking a step closer to the group.  
  
"Ok!" The young girl said excitedly, always willing to learn new things.  
  
"What do you have planned?" Delly asked, coming back into the room, a serving plate full of drinks on it. The tinkling glasses made Drizzt smile and think of the old saying 'You can take the girl out of the bar, but the bar stays with the girl'. The woman, Wulfgar's wife, had once been a barmaid and had occasionally sold herself to interested males.  
  
"A day. Blindfold on continuously. See if she likes it." Now he thought about it, he was more frustrated than angry about his lack of sight. "I propose you all do it. Have a day each in my situation, then you can tell me how I should feel."  
  
"Are ye angry with us?" Asked Catti-brie quietly.  
  
Drizzt sighed, slowly made his way back to the group and sat down when he found his chair around the table they were sitting at. "No. I'm not angry, I just...need to learn to count with my fingers. I got a little frustrated, that's all."  
  
"That's ok. It can get frustrating anyway...especially if you are on a losing streak." Regis stated, before grabbing one of the drinks and handing it to Drizzt. The halfling then handed a glass to each of the other members of the card-playing group. Only a fruit juice, it was ok for Colson to have.  
  
Soon they were all once again immersed in their card game, Drizzt easily frustrated but determined not to give up. In fact, after even winning a game, he was in a better mood. Whether or not his friends had let him win or not he didn't know. All he knew was afterwards he felt more relaxed.  
  
They were then beginning their fifth game when an urgent knock was heard on the door. A runner came in then, heavily breathing from the run he had just had, before he stated what was wrong.  
  
"Attack from the West Gate! We need all the people we have to ward off the enemy!" With that, the male then slipped off to go tell the next group of people he could find.  
  
Drizzt froze. He knew he could still fight in complete darkness, but what enemy exactly were they fighting? How many were they up against to need every available fighter? Could he actually get outside to join the fight anyhow?  
  
A hundred other questions jumped into his head, so when the hand of Bruenor was put on his shoulder and began to get him up and drag him back to his rooms and his scimitars, he knew the answer to at least one.  
  
If Silverymoon needed his blades, then the fair city was going to have them. He needed a good fight anyway, feeling the restlessness that always comes over him when he is in one place too long without one.  
  
He may be a ranger, and he may be of good heart, but a warrior's blood was in his veins and bred in him. There was no way he was going to miss this fight.  
  
For the first time since his blindness had claimed him, he felt truly excited, an eager grin coming to his face as he raced with his friends to grab his weapons.  
  
It was moments like these he truly lived for.  
  
A/N - ok, a small chapter this is.but you can all live with that right? Also it seems to be of a different text size.sorry again. Ah well, look, it is updated though, yay! As you can see, yes, Bladedancer, there is going to be a bad guy other than his blindness. Whether or not his vision returns yet I haven't figured that part out yet. It depends on what my pen writes (or my fingers type.) Yay for a fight scene next chapter. Who are the enemies? What are the enemies?  
  
Hmm, tune in for the next chapter for the answers. As to last chapter thanks go to The Bladedancer (4 times *hugs*), maffeoel, Radiant Sea Serpent, She-cat, Icingdeath, ChichiX, Carlin Robertson, Ivar, LunaLillium and Lady Cinnibar.  
  
10 reviewers! With a total of 14 reviews! That is unheard of for this story! Thank you all for liking it so much, and hope you enjoy this part too! *hugs and cookies to all* 


	11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven  
  
Weapons in hand and finding the reek of orcs and goblins, Drizzt eagerly jumped into action as he was led outside fast by his friends.  
  
Excitement coursed through his veins as he heard the rush of the disgusting creatures coming towards him. Using senses honed by a half-century of practice, he was able to determine friend from foe easily, thankful now for the training he had gone through in Melee Magthere on blind fighting.  
  
With a shout of pent up frustration, he waded into the enemy, Twinkle and Icingdeath going to work hacking orcs and goblins apart. For the first time since the fight began, he realised belatedly that there were humans among the numbers of enemies...in fact, the human population of attackers was higher than the fodder that was being used.  
  
Dodging all the blows he could, he heard the sound of one of his scimitars going through leather armour and flesh, even as the young male fighter screamed out his hate as death claimed him.  
  
An angry shove from behind him whirled him about and Drizzt was only just quick enough to get his scimitars up to block an angry attack from another young fighter. From the scream of rage, he knew this one to be a female. With a few deft moves and feints, he had soon dispatched the enemy and left her lying as dead as her partner.  
  
Moving quickly to where the sounds of heavy combat greeted his ears, the world singing with nothing but shouts, screams, moans and the loud clashing of steel on steel, Drizzt was soon once again in his element.  
  
The excitement of the event rang in his blood, making him feel like everything was once again right in the world. If he could still fight this well, then he would not be such a big burden on his friends after all. This was one thing he knew he could still do.  
  
Before he was ready to end the fight, he heard what little was left of the enemy run. He managed to take down one of the human fighters and keep him still, long enough for his comrades to help move the prisoner to the dungeons.  
  
Breathing hard as the adrenaline of battle wore down, Drizzt was soon joined by his friends and was led back inside. A loud crash to one side room was heard, followed by a scream, before running feet came dashing towards him.  
  
Not knowing if it was friend or foe, he did nothing, but he soon realised one of the cities attackers had breached the walls of the Palace, as Delly came panting into the room screaming to stop him.  
  
Wulfgar soon put an end to the rogues run...and life.  
  
"Are you alright, Delly." Wulfgar asked, running over to his wife and holding her near.  
  
"It hurts." She whispered, not too loud, but loud enough for Drizzt to hear with his heightened sense of hearing.  
  
"What happened?" He inquired, wanting to know if there was anything he could do to help the obviously distressed woman.  
  
"He came from out of nowhere and tried to...take me by force. I hit him hard with a bottle I was holding around the back...he retaliated by punching me in the stomach..." The woman's voice stopped talking then as she began to cry, one hand clutching at her stomach.  
  
Drizzt suddenly felt like he was intruding on a very private moment so he quickly signaled to Catti-brie that he wanted to go back to his room. Together, they soon made it to his private rooms and sat down on one of the couches.  
  
"They'll be devastated." Catti-brie stated, leaning her head on Drizzt's shoulders.  
  
"If what? Delly is fine, if not a bit shaken from what almost happened to her." Drizzt answered, suddenly very aware of the closeness of the human woman to him.  
  
"Use ye brain Drizzt. She was hit in the stomach. If the blow be strong enough, she could be losin' the baby."  
  
Drizzt closed his eyes and bowed his head. Of course! He had forgotten about the baby. Wulfgar and Delly had been trying for their own child for a long time and now they could lose one after they had finally succeeded.  
  
A hand was felt running through his hair then and he let out his breath hard. "Do you think they will lose the child?" He asked, more to himself than the woman beside him.  
  
"I'm not knowin', but I be hopin' they don't. A little brother or sister for Colson would be good." Catti-brie muttered, before leaning forward and kissing him slightly below his ear.  
  
Drizzt's eyes closed and he let the gentle kisses soothe him. He sighed as the small, feathery touch of her lips on his skin was felt along his neck, before Catti-brie found a perch on his lap and began to kiss his mouth instead.  
  
This he enjoyed. He let the kiss deepen, wanting to be as close as possible to the woman he loved. He pulled her closer until their hips were touching, letting her know how much this was affecting him.  
  
The kiss turned very passionate and soon both were panting for breath. Drizzt ran his fingers up and down Catti-brie's back, pushing her even closer to him. Swollen lips met again in a bruising kiss and both moaned in sudden need to further things.  
  
Catti-brie soon made herself more comfortable on his lap, straddling him as Drizzt's hands found their way under her shirt and felt the smooth skin of her bare back.  
  
A hand was fumbling at his belt, trying to open it. It was then he froze. His breath stopped as he realised what was about to happen and quickly pulled her arms away.  
  
"Stop, please." He panted, not thinking it possible to get the words out any better.  
  
Catti-brie did as he asked with a slight growl. "Drizzt, I have done nothin' but stop for years now." She stated, getting off his lap and walking to the other side of the room.  
  
"I am sorry. I am not ready to..."  
  
"Ye're never goin' to be ready! It just happens like it's supposed to!"  
  
"You don't understand."  
  
"No ye don't be understandin'! I can't be waitin' my whole life for ye to be realisin' that ye want me."  
  
"But I do! I just am unsure of why I do. I do not want to jump into a relationship based solely on lust. I don't want that! I have to know! I am young for my kind and you are now getting older! But...I don't know whether this was a good idea to start even with a kiss! You will probably die before I am even classed as an adult!"  
  
"Oh, so ye're sayin' nothin' will happen because ye don't want to be hurt, or simply because I am old!"  
  
Drizzt cursed out loud. "Stop twisting my words! I did not say you were old, I said you were older...I meant for a human! I am drow! An elf! I could live eight centuries!"  
  
"Or ye could die tomorrow in a fight against some enemy or another! We live by the sword! It is not the best way to live if ye be wantin' to last all those eight centuries!"  
  
"I know that! You think I would not like to live any other way?! I have tried. I get restless. I cannot help but fight sometimes! But I do have feelings you know! I get hurt, I get tired, I get sad and I can fall in love!"  
  
"Then prove it! Why won't ye be givin' us a chance?" The angry shouts thrown a few seconds had died to angrily whispered words from the woman.  
  
"Catti-brie I...cannot explain in words you would understand. To be with someone so young in my life, what would I do for the rest of my life if I am not with you?! You will not always be here! I am afraid that if I do go further I will find myself bonded to you and will never be happy again! I...I cannot unless I truly know."  
  
He could feel Catti-brie's eyes on him and he bowed his head and looked away. He didn't want to fight with her, he hated hearing her raise her voice in anger. He heard her walk towards him again and sit down next to him, gently grasping one of his hands in her own.  
  
"What if it is real and ye don't be givin' it a chance?" She asked softly, kissing his hand, before getting back up and quietly exiting the room to leave the troubled drow to his thoughts.  
  
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Tarathiel was smiling as he made his way to the ranger's room. He had spent the last few nights, the full moon and the nights before and after it, locked in a cage down in the Palace's dungeons. He had gotten his wound from the werewolf binded in time, the curse of Lycanthropy not taking its hold on his body.  
  
He knocked on the door to the room of the only drow he would ever class as friend and waited for a reply. Not getting one, he gently pushed open the door and peered into the room.  
  
"Drizzt?" He called out quietly, not wanting to wake the dark elf up if he was sleeping.  
  
"What?!" Came a crisp reply from the couch. Tarathiel turned in that direction, closing the door behind him. Stepping so that he could fully see his friends' features. He was not expecting the lost, empty look in the drow's lavender eyes.  
  
"What happened?" The elf asked, watching as Drizzt turned his sightless gaze away from him.  
  
"I have ruined everything." Came the mumbled reply. "I thought that this time...but I keep pushing her away."  
  
Tarathiel blinked and sat down near the brooding ranger. He gently placed a hand on Drizzt's shoulder and squeezed.  
  
"You keep pushing her away? You have never..."  
  
"No. Don't you start on this as well! Please! I tried to explain, but I do not even know how to put it in words."  
  
Tarathiel laughed quietly, earning an angry growl from his forlorn friend. "I think I understand the problem. You know the right thing to do and think you might have told her your decision. She will still try though...let me go talk to her. I think I might be able to make her understand a little better than you could."  
  
Drizzt sighed and nodded silently. "Fine. Though I feel terrible, sad, angry...frustrated." The last he added reluctantly, before he got up off the couch he was on and wandered over to a window.  
  
"I want to. I really do but..."  
  
"But she is not right for you. You might love her, but if nothing is going on between you now, then you will have a chance to find someone else when she is gone."  
  
Drizzt chanced a slight look over in the elf's direction. "I forgot for a moment that you are an elf." He sighed loudly. "You would understand then."  
  
"Yes."  
  
Drizzt nodded and walked back to the couch, flopping onto it like a rag doll. "What was her name?" He asked, his head bent at an angle that suggested his curiosity was peaked.  
  
Tarathiel was silent for a long time. Finally he sighed, got off the couch and moved towards the door. "I'll tell you later." The Moon Elf muttered before disappearing out of the room.  
  
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Regis, Wulfgar and Colson were waiting outside the Healer's room, trying their hardest to hear what was going on in there. The girl was fidgeting, obviously just as anxious to be let in as Wulfgar was.  
  
"Is Mummy going to be all right?" She asked quietly to her daddy and Regis.  
  
"She will be fine Colson." Regis stated, knowing that to be loosely true. It was the baby that the two adults were worried about.  
  
He was about to leave, when the door to the room opened and Stumpet came out, a grim look on her features.  
  
"Is Delly ok?" Asked an extremely concerned Wulfgar, who was trying to peek through the door to see his wife.  
  
Stumpet stopped him from entering. "She will be fine. She be takin' somethin' to make her sleep so don't go botherin' her right now."  
  
"The baby?" Wulgar was barely able to breathhe the word out. If they lost the unborn child...  
  
"Is still alive. It not be movin' so much, but the blow Delly took just caused stress and nothin' more. That be why Delly was in such pain."  
  
A collected sigh ran out through the adults present. Colson however looked confused, walked up to her daddy, yanked at his leggings like she always did when curious with a question and stated what she wanted an answer for.  
  
"Where's the baby? Why haven't I seen it yet?!" Colson pouted when, after a few exchanged looks from Regis and Wulfgar, the only answer she got was relieved laughter.  
  
A/N - Well, this chapter has gone up a whole lot faster than they normally do! Wow. Hope you all like the battle scene. I am unsure about it, it was my first true big battle I have written and wanted it done fully in Drizzt's point of view.  
  
Well thank you for the 11 reviews I got. ChichiX, TheBladedancer (now writing a Jarlaxle/Zaknafein friendship story, not slash), Tristor, DragonEyeZ, Carlin Robertson, Radiant Sea Serpent, Icingdeath (hope this one has more likable action), She-cat, Oracle, Maffeoel, and last but not least Lady Cinnibar. 


	12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve  
  
Catti-brie was furious. Not only at Drizzt, but at herself as well. She shouldn't have gotten angry at being pushed away again but she had been frustrated and not thinking properly.  
  
Sighing, she let herself fall onto the bed she had been given in one of the many guest bedrooms. She growled into the pillows and pounded them with her fists once, hoping that would ease her anger and mind.  
  
They had been so close! She had thought that the long years of waiting were finally over. Instead, he had once again brushed her aside, this time stating that starting something with her in the first place was a mistake.  
  
Well, she wouldn't give up on him if he didn't give up on her. She had not spent the last 4 years just to break up with the drow.  
  
Sighing, she turned around to lay on her back, hands under her head, when a knock was heard at the door. Getting up and letting in whoever it was, she was surprised to see Tarathiel waiting patiently, a thoughtful look on his face. She immediately thought the worst of his bite.  
  
"Tarathiel, are ye goin' to be gettin' furry every month or not?" She asked, anger heard in her voice, not able to show the worry for her elf friend in her present mood.  
  
Tarathiel shook his head and wandered over to the bed. Sitting down, he patted the spot next to him and waited as the human woman closed the door and joined him.  
  
"I just had a talk with Drizzt. He asked me to come and talk to you." He stated, getting right to the topic at hand.  
  
Catti-brie frowned. "Ye be goin' back and tellin' him that I be just as upset as he is."  
  
Tarathiel shook his head. "This has nothing to do with how angry or upset or frustrated you may be. This is about something else."  
  
"What then? Do all elves go about talkin' in riddles?"  
  
A slight laugh escaped Tarathiel at that. "Not all the time." Shaking his head slightly, his black hair covering the tips of his ears, he turned to look right at Catti-brie. "Drizzt was trying to explain something to you, but could not find the right words."  
  
"Aye, he kept on sayin' that...before he kept on sayin' that the whole thing be a mistake since the first kiss."  
  
"It was." The moon elf stated, watching shock turn into anger.  
  
"What are ye gettin' at?! I'm not to be givin' up now!" Catti-brie stated, her voice amazingly calm considering the anger that was quite clear in every action her body made.  
  
Tarathiel sighed, closing his eyes for some long minutes, before opening them again and looked at the blazing woman next to him.  
  
"Regardless of the fact that he is drow, he is still an elf. I do not know much about his kind, only that he is more surface elf than one of his Underdark kin. Surface elves mate for life...once their partner dies or is killed, they spend the rest of their life alone.  
  
"Drizzt is very young and the likelihood of your dying before he reaches true adulthood is relatively high. He will not take that risk, no one wants to be alone in that manner for centuries."  
  
"I don't be carin' if he's alone for all eternity unless he tries with me!" Catti-brie yelled, seeing Tarathiel wince.  
  
"He wouldn't be too happy to hear you say that. He knows now, has for quite a while considering a conversation I had with him before his...breakdown. He cannot be with you, even though he wants to be. Please, at least try to understand...you can go out, meet somebody else, marry, have children, fight to the end of your life with your husband by your side, but it won't be Drizzt that you marry, it will not be his children that you carry. Both of you would be happier if you found yourself a human male to be your husband."  
  
Catti-brie could not find words easy to come by after hearing that. Instead, she stared long and hard into Tarathiel's blue eyes, seeing that he told the truth and nothing but.  
  
Sighing, the woman bowed her head and realised that she had just truly lost Drizzt. Tears sprang into her eyes and she didn't resist the arms that suddenly held her in a hug.  
  
It was so unfair! First Wulfgar, her first lover had died, but had been brought back again seven years after being relentlessly tortured. Now Drizzt too was no longer a willing partner in that area, and never truly had been.  
  
Still, she had always wondered why they didn't go any further than kissing. At least now she knew.  
  
Her tears stopped after a while and she decided to go find Bruenor to tell her foster father this new, sudden development between her and Drizzt.  
  
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Drizzt had sat down after Tarathiel had left and thought for a while. Shaking his head as he realised there was no other thing to do but break up with the red-headed, fiery woman, he got back to his feet and headed out to try and find Wulfgar to ask about Delly's condition.  
  
Out in the corridor, he kept one hand on the wall, counting all the doors he passed, hoping one didn't suddenly open, dropping him to the floor. Luckily, he was spared that embarrassing fate and made it safely to the door he knew led to the Healer's Quarters. Knocking gently on the door before opening it, he poked his head in.  
  
"Wulfgar?" He called out gently, not knowing if the blond barbarian was in there or not.  
  
"What are you doing here? Weren't you with Catti-brie?" Wulfgar asked, walking over to the blind drow and escorting him further in to the room in the direction of his sleeping wife.  
  
Drizzt winced. "Not any longer," he replied softly before shaking his head. "How is Delly?"  
  
"Sleeping in the bed right in front of you. The blow to the stomach caused the baby to stress. Both will, or at least should, be fine." Came the reply the dark elf had been hoping for.  
  
Drizzt sighed in relief. "I forgot for a minute that Delly was with child."  
  
Wulfgar chuckled lightly. "I find it hard to believe myself." The barbarian stated, looking down lovingly at his wife.  
  
Drizzt sighed, wishing that there was something he could do to help but thinking it to be pointless. He was not about to start slipping back into one of his depressions if he could help it, so he shook his head and smiled. "Come. Why don't you take me into the city for a while. It will both let us forget what plagues our minds."  
  
Wulfgar agreed, taking the arm of his mentor and leading him where Drizzt wanted to go. Soon, the two were busy losing themselves in the hustle of different races.  
  
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Shade glared angrily down at the few stragglers that had made it back from the raid he had prepared on Silverymoon, in his third attempt to kill that damned drow Do'Urden.  
  
He growled angrily at the humans, orcs and his own pack for their utter stupidity. He noticed with growing anger that his children were missing, presumably killed in the fight.  
  
Being the Bloodmaster in this area, now his business done with the small group of Malar worshippers that lived in Quaervarr, it was his job to kill them...but he had a better idea. With the loss of so many of his brethren lately, he decided to spare the humans and change them into werewolves.  
  
He grinned, showing fangs lining his mouth instead of teeth, a trait he picked up from being a born what he was. A wolfwere. In his current human guise, not all his wolfish traits vanished.  
  
Quickly, he went through the ranks of is helpers in this crusade, killing any orcs he came across and scratching or biting the humans.  
  
After he had many more followers, he thought back to the last person, before these few here before him, he had bitten. An elf! One that he hoped would soon join his pack, as the Moon elf seemed to be a close friend of that Mielikki worshipping drow ranger.  
  
If the elf didn't join him, he would just have to try again with another member of the small group the Do'Urden whelp hung about with.  
  
He knew his time was growing nearer, as with the sudden blindness, the drow's scimitars' range seemed cut short. He could win where his children had failed and be known as the strongest Bloodmaster in Faerûn!  
  
A/N - Short chapter, yes, and rather bad.but it is up after I had a little downtime given to me by ff.net for having Author's Notes written as a chapter.Ah well, I'm back now.soon to bring you the next chapter to Memories, a crossover and a little fic I did for the Library of Moria's Archive Challenge.  
  
Thanks once again to all my reviewers. HumbleMaster, Singvogel, LunaLillium, She-Cat, DragonEyeZ, TheBladedancer, Maffeoel, Carlin Robertson, Chichi X, and Icingdeath. 


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen  
  
Wulfgar handed the bow he held to Drizzt, letting the drow feel the length and strength of it.  
  
"Well? I don't know why you want to buy a bow for?" Wulfgar muttered to himself.  
  
"I know how to use my scimitars, blind or no, but using a bow...I would like to know if I still can." Drizzt replied, almost absently, his hands done with their examination.  
  
He sighed before handing the weapon back to Wulfgar. "Maybe you are right...why would I use a bow anyway when Catti-brie is enough of an archer for us all."  
  
His mind now filled with thoughts of the red-headed woman, he sighed. He tried to put the bow back on the table it had come from, but heard it clatter to the ground instead. That well of anger that he had thought finally gone, sprang forth inside him, like some huge dark beast.  
  
He leapt to where the tables were, ready to wreak everything in sight. He was stopped by a pair of large hands. He struggled wildly, trying to get out of the strong grip, but failed.  
  
Wulfgar was in front of him then, shaking his shoulders a bit as if to wake him. "Drizzt." Wulfgar called for the fifth time, before recognition came to the drow's eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry." Drizzt muttered before his eyes pricked with oncoming tears. No! He would not cry again, he thought wildly, but as soon as the grip of the hands of the stranger behind him moved, he fell to his feet, tears streaming down his face. He was such a wreck, as was his life as yet.  
  
Another pair of arms, ones not familiar until he caught the scent of Wulfgar, were holding on to him, rubbing his back in smooth, soothing circles.  
  
Drizzt clung to the barbarian wanting, no needing, the comfort. His tears were silent, streaming down his face like twin rivers in a way that was becoming all too familiar.  
  
After a few minutes, he began to calm down. He slowly released his grip on Wulfgar, before rubbing furiously at his eyes. Again, he muttered an apology, this time for his unlikely behaviour that, by the sounds the drow was hearing, had gathered a crowd.  
  
He blushed, thankful that most of the people likely gawking at him would not realise. Wulfgar put a hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed. "Let's go somewhere else." The barbarian said, steering him away from the crowd.  
  
Drizzt scowled, as he walked wherever he was led. How he felt like a child! A sudden thought of how dependent he was on his friends came to his mind and, with an angry shove, he broke away from Wulfgar and ran quickly in what he hoped was out of sight of the tall man.  
  
He ran like he had in the forest when he had broke his bone, arms outstretched searching for obstacles, his other senses stretching themselves to their limits, every tiny sound it seemed reached his ears. It wasn't long before he realised he was lost and he slowed to a walk.  
  
Gods, he was acting childish as well! He slowly began to try and retrace his steps, but stopped when he heard the crying of a child. Following the sound, he soon heard a small gasp and a frantic scrabbling.  
  
"I won't hurt you, I promise." He stated soothingly, trying to coax the child to him.  
  
A sniffle was heard close by and he smiled. "What is your name?" He asked in the direction of the small noises.  
  
"Thomas." Came the small voice of a child around eight years of age.  
  
"Hello Thomas. I'm Drizzt." He said, hoping that the boy had heard of him.  
  
"...Really?!" Came the answer, awe in the boy's tone. "I want to be a ranger like you when I grow up!"  
  
Drizzt smiled. "Well, that is nice to hear. Thomas, why are you crying?"  
  
There was an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes after he asked the question, but the child did answer when he was ready to. "I...ran away from home. I got lost."  
  
Cocking his head to one side, a confused look crept over Drizzt's features. "Why did you run away from your home?"  
  
A shifting sound was heard as Thomas moved out of what Drizzt could only surmise as being a hiding spot. "My Da died last week. My Ma won't play with me anymore. She just yells at me." A sob was heard then, as Thomas began to cry again. "I miss my Da."  
  
Drizzt felt his heart go out to this child. He opened his arms and soon had the boy in his lap. He held Thomas close to him and let him cry. Once the child had settled a bit, he got to his feet. Feeling the child's face, he wiped away the tears on his cheeks, before ruffling the hair on the boys head. He noticed then slightly pointed ears, not long enough to be a full elf.  
  
"Come. I think we should get you home. But, you will have to lead as best you can. Just hold my hand, stay close and don't move too fast."  
  
"Why me? I am lost..." Thomas replied and Drizzt couldn't help but chuckle at the expression that he knew would be on the child's face. It was one he had seen on Colson's face time and again.  
  
"So am I." He replied. He got to his knees and put his hands to either side of the boys face. "I had an...accident not too long ago and now I can't see. So, you will have to lead me as best you can."  
  
"You have pretty eyes." Thomas said, before reaching out and grabbing one of the good drow's hands.  
  
Drizzt stood up again, but noticed that his 'guide' wasn't moving.  
  
"If you can't see, why are you here by yourself?" Came the innocent question in that voice only a child could ask it in.  
  
A sheepish grin made its way onto Drizzt's face. "I got upset and ran away." He replied, a slight blush creeping up his cheeks again. The small giggle from Thomas soon made his embarrassment go away.  
  
A few seconds later and they were moving slowly through the crowd. Every now and then, Thomas would stop as if to think in what direction to go in. Once, they even turned around and went back to a place they had already been, Thomas saying something about that way being the wrong way. Drizzt took note that the child would probably make a good ranger.  
  
"Hey! I know where we are now, I play here sometimes." Thomas stated after an hour of what felt like aimless walking to Drizzt. The tugging on his hand became more rough as Thomas began to speed up.  
  
"Slow down, please." Drizzt said, before a loud "ow" passed his lips as he was lead into a bench by the side of the road.  
  
Laughter was heard off to one side, before another child spoke, this one distinctively Elven if the musical lilt in the voice was anything to go by. "Aww, look, little Tommy has bought a gift home for his mother. What, you would like a drow for a father would you? Hey, at least its not human like your real one."  
  
The tugging on his arm became more insistent as Thomas was trying to get away from the other child. Unfortunately, Drizzt's knee was now throbbing and he sat down before Thomas could lead him away, massaging the sore spot.  
  
He was about to tell Thomas to ignore them when the next insult went flying straight at the boy. "I heard your father died. What of? Old age? I mean, he was in his fourties...that's old for a human." A pause followed this, before the talk continued. "No, that isn't it, is it? No. Your mother probably hired an assassin. I mean, no elf could live with a human that long right?!"  
  
This went straight to Drizzt's head and he found his free hand falling to his belt where his scimitar's holster lay. Icingdeath was in his reach now and, though he had never been particularly cruel, this child was asking for a lesson in manners.  
  
This boy, this child had just hit the one problem he had ever faced with Catti-brie, the only obstacle. "At least his mother was kind enough to teach Thomas good manners. Something you obviously lack." He spat out, listening to the stunned silence. A few seconds later grumbling came to his ears, too low for him to discern words, before Thomas sighed, an indication the young elf had left.  
  
"Friend of yours?" Drizzt asked, his hand once again dropping to rub at his knee. He was sure it would bruise, but he wasn't about to blame Thomas. The boy was obviously trying to avoid an unwanted encounter.  
  
"No." Came the reply, the small voice he heard now an indication of how much the other child's words stung.  
  
Sighing, Drizzt stood again, lightly placing weight on his sore leg to see if he could walk without to much discomfort. Luckily he could walk with only a slight limp and not much pain. His leg was not as bad as he thought.  
  
Soon the two were once again on the move, this time, Thomas staying at Drizzt's side, calling out directions softly and steering him away from any obstacles.  
  
In a few minutes they stopped. Thomas hid behind Drizzt's legs, making the drow understand that this was the house they were looking for.  
  
Drizzt walked in what he hoped was the direction to the door, surprised when he was steered in the right direction by the boy behind him.  
  
Knocking on the door, it soon opened and a surprised gasp was heard. "What do you want?!" The female elf demanded to know.  
  
"Are you the mother of Thomas?" He asked quietly, not wanting to seem thatening in any way.  
  
"Yes, but he is missing. I am so worried!" The woman replied, a hint of more than worry in her voice.  
  
Drizzt smiled, before reaching behind him and grabbing one of Thomas' hands, making the child walk out from behind him. A flurry of movement later found Drizzt on the ground and a rellieved mother hugging her son close.  
  
"Don't you never do that to me again, you hear young man!" She scolded.  
  
Drizzt suddenly remembered his earlier conversation with the boy. "Ma'am, may I suggest not yelling at him. He thinks it is his fault that you are angry." After a small silence, in which Thomas stated afterwards that his Ma had nodded, it was as if lights went off in his head.  
  
"See, you made it home, safe and sound. Unlike me. I am still lost." He stated, a sudden fear of never finding his way back to the Palace filling him.  
  
"He can't see." Thomas said to his mother, making Drizzt look to the ground.  
  
"I cannot find my way back to the Palace unaided." He muttered, wishing that simple fact not to be true. Sighing, he got back to his feet, but didn't move from the spot.  
  
"I could send a message to the Palace for someone to come and take you back." The elf said, before quitly moving past him and outside to talk to a passerby, who was more than happy to pass on the message.  
  
Drizzt was now aware of the slight pain in his knee again, wincing as he began to rub the tender flesh there. Thomas stayed by his side, waiting for his mother to come back.  
  
"The least I could do is offer you some place to rest your leg." The she- elf stated, gently steering him to a couch. "Sit. Make yourself comfortable. Someone should come for you soon."  
  
"Thank you." Drizzt replied, smiling slightly. Soon he was talking once again to Thomas this time about earlier adventures.  
  
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Shade growled low in his throat as he watched the fight that had broken out between two of his more powerful males. The infighting in his pack had been growing of late, each of the werecreatures wanting a higher rank in his eyes.  
  
The females were not as bad, but even they had been scrabbling for their own higher ranks, or their mates. He had lost three wolves and most of the rats in his back. The bears had been watching, only fighting with others of their own kind and not as often.  
  
He made his way to the two fighting males and pulled them off of each other, hitting each hard enough to stun.  
  
"Stop this fighting now!" He screamed, his teeth gnashing at the air before his two disobedient pack members. He shifted into his natural wolf form and ripped the throat out of the weaker of the two.  
  
He growled and made for the abandoned Elven village that they had taken residency in. His mate, Nightshade waited for him in her human form, a scowl on her face.  
  
No words were needed. These two had been a pair for so long, they knew each others actions well. Nightshade immediately knew what had happened and changed into her own wolf form.  
  
The rest of the pack followed not long after, moving to the places they had claimed as their own. Of course, they had fed that day. On the flesh and meat of one of their own. The symbolism was not lost on the wereanimals. Either the fighting was to stop or they would be the next meal.  
  
The pack was determined to be well behaved from now on.  
  
A/N - Sorry if this chapter took so long to come out. I have been sick and my brain had fried because of that. Ah well. I might not be all better yet, but I am now back to my writing again. Even though this is totally different to what I have planned, I think it to be better than the last few chapters.  
  
Hmm, it seems half the people who read the last chapter liked it and the other half didn't. Hmmm, well, to each his own...even though I am female. As to Innovindil...I have not yet read the Lone Drow, although I have finally read 1000 Orcs. So, as far as I know, she has only ever been with Tarathiel.  
  
Oh, also, I added Tarathiel into this story and wrote about his family before reading 1000 Orcs, so had no knowledge he would be in it at all. Hey, he has been one of my favourite characters since his small cameo appearance in Starless Night and could not resist.  
  
Ok, enough rambling from me now. Thank you to my reviewers once again. BelleDayNight, PsychoCatGirl, ChichiX, Sirithiliel, Carlin Robertson, She- cat and Rebma Esined. 


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen  
  
Shade followed the scent of deer, stopping only when his intended prey had come into sight.  
  
The animal's head was down, its ears swivelling back and forth, listening for any danger. It hadn't yet sensed his presence yet...easy prey.  
  
He was about to sneak closer and go for the kill when the animal fell quite dead, an arrow lodged through its neck rupturing veins and killing it instantly.  
  
Shade felt like growling at the misfortune of having his kill taken from him. Until, that is, the elf stepped out from hiding, a wolf trotting along at her side.  
  
Something about them seemed all too familiar....  
  
Lying in wait until the Elf had neatly taken her kill and put it over the back of a horse nearby, Shade didn't leave his spot hiding in the shadows until the wolf at the elf's side had left.  
  
Stepping out cautiously, making sure he wasn't spotted by the quickly departing elf, he sniffed around the spots where the two companions had been.  
  
Shade growled then, deep in his throat. He knew both scents, but hadn't seen either two in a long time.  
  
Lyavain and Colt.  
  
The betrayal made was still fresh in his mind though....  
  
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Wulfgar was in a panic by the time he had made it back to the Palace. He raced to the room where he and his friends had played cards and immediately ran into an irate Bruenor.  
  
"Why they be needin' me now is beyond me guessin'!" The dwarf growled out, pacing the room, where he noticed Catti-brie and Regis were too.  
  
He hurriedly walked over to the woman and halfling, each step closer making him dread their reactions...especially that of Catti-brie.  
  
"I lost him! In the marketplace...he ran away and I couldn't find him." He mumbled out fast, before having to repeat the sentence slower so everyone could understand him.  
  
"Ye be meanin' ter tell us that Drizzt be runnin' around Silverymoon, on his own?" Catti-brie demanded more than asked.  
  
Wulfgar just nodded.  
  
Catti-brie stared at him, before closing her eyes. "What happened?" She asked, calm despite what she had just been told.  
  
"He...wanted to buy a bow. It was a strange idea and I have no idea why he wanted one, but he got all angry when he missed the table to put it back. He made quite a spectacle of himself before he took off...."  
  
Bruenor frowned before joining in the conversation. "Well, best ye be goin' ter find the durned elf then. I have enough of me own problems ter be worryin' overmuch for one who can look after themselves."  
  
Those words helped calm Wulfgar down almost immediately. He knew Drizzt could still fight, it was just that being blind now...  
  
Sighing, the barbarian just nodded, before wandering back to the infirmary to visit Delly. He would give the drow a little time to himself before going off to find him.  
  
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Drizzt was falling asleep. He knew the invitation to stay was nothing but politeness on this strange elf's part, but the couch he was balled on with Thomas was too comfortable.  
  
His eyes slipped closed to the voice of the child and was soon lulled asleep completely by the continuous noise.  
  
A shake to his shoulder woke him up an hour later. Groggy and a little turned around, it seemed natural to state his unease. "Where am I?" He asked, the question coming out more a whine than anything else.  
  
"Celanil's house. Ye helped her son home, remember?" Came the familiar voice of Bruenor.  
  
"You must have been exhausted..." Came the worried voice of Wulfgar.  
  
Drizzt thought that a strange thing to think. He had been sleeping peacefully at nights nowadays and had done nothing to warrant exhaustion.  
  
"Thanks for coming to pick me up." With a stretch, Drizzt got to his feet and reached down to look for his weapons. They weren't there.  
  
He began to nervously move his hands along the couch he had fallen asleep on, trying to find them. It was five more minutes before Wulfgar handed them to him.  
  
"Where were they? Why were they moved?!" Drizzt asked, his eyes narrowing his eyes.  
  
"You were going to cut someone with them where you were...honestly, you do not have to carry them wherever you go." Came the familiar Elven voice of Tarathiel from behind him.  
  
Blinking, he shrugged, an apologetic smile making its way across his features. "Sorry, an old habit I have had since childhood."  
  
Silence hung over the room then, uncomfortable and heavy. With a shrug, Drizzt held out one of his hands and waited.  
  
"Well, I only be here to be tellin' yeh that I be goin' back to Mithral Hall. There's trouble at the mines that I'm needed for." Bruenor stated, before grumbling under his breath about the nonsensical things he had to do because he was a King.  
  
Drizzt half-listened to the tirade, but mostly he went about feeling for someone else too grab hold of. He was ready to go back to the Palace now.  
  
He grabbed hold of a thin wrist and smiled. "Tarathiel?" he asked, happy when the elf he was holding responded to the name. "I'm ready to leave now."  
  
Celanil cleared her throat, before smiling somewhat forcedly at the blind drow. "Thomas seems to like you. Feel free to stop by and see him at any time."  
  
Bowing slightly, Drizzt thanked her and her invitation, before getting a better hold on his elf friend's arm and disappeared out the door with his friends following close behind him.  
  
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Lyavain made her way home, Colt easily loping at her horses side, tongue lolling out of his mouth more like a domestic dog than the wolf he was.  
  
Seeing the trees evening out and her home in a small clearing, she halted her steed, hopped off the mares back, carefully brought the felled deer to the ground and sent the horse to forage in the surrounding woods.  
  
The deer was skinned, hopefully the hide would be good enough to make into a new set of leather armour. Her last had been ruined in a skirmish not too long before her peculiar guests had arrived at her home.  
  
Colt made his way inside, sniffing about the kitchen, waiting for his large share of fresh meat. Frowning at her wolf companion, she shooed him out of the house, grabbed enough meat to last a while and let Colt have the rest.  
  
She was about to cook her own dinner when she heard a yelp cooming from outside. Running to where she had heard the noise, she found Colt lying in a pool of his own blood.  
  
Crying out loud, she quickly called her horse to her and sent off for Silverymoon. In her haste, she forgot to look at what might have done this to her companion. In her shock, she forgot that she was a Healer.  
  
In her rush to the one place she knew someone would help her, she didn't bother to see if she was being followed.  
  
A/N - Yipes, I am so sorry for not having this out sooner, but first I had the dreaded WB, then I had started to write several other stories, some chaptered, others one shots.  
  
All up, by the time you get this, know that I am currently working on 8 other stories, not including this one, luckily some of them are one shots...  
  
Anyhoo, a big thank you to all who reviewed, and an even bigger one to all who decided that the wait wouldn't steer them away from reading and enjoying...at least I hope you do at any rate.  
  
Thanks to chickens, Fox-Demon-Girl, Starknight, fanfic-demon, DarkElf, Em Starcatcher, RangerDo'Urden (twice!), She-cat, -Kuusuru-, singvogel, BelleDayNight, darkestdrow, chichiX, Sirithiliel and Zarbok for reviewing the last chapter...don't think the next chapter will take quite this long.  
  
Oh and BelleDayNight, I have now officially read The Lone Drow. Sort of screwed up my perception on this story with what happened to poor Tarathiel...  
  
Okay, I have finished my little babbling bit now. 


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Drizzt glared at what he hoped to be the target, raised the bow he was holding, waited until he was as sure as he was going to get and released the arrow.

A thud was heard as the arrow embedded itself and a giant grin lit up his face. He had hit the target! He had been practicing for hours with the bow and this was the first time he had hit the mark he was aiming for.

"Well?" he asked, after a round of applause off to one side. "Did I get close to the bullseye?"

Silence as the clapping and laughing stopped and someone approached the target. "Ye got it somewhere between the board end and the bullseye." Catti-brie stated.

Drizzt's grin didn't fade. Not only had he hit the target, but he had done better than he had thought.

Putting the bow away, he leaned forward until Catti-brie was right in front of him and gave the woman a kiss.

It was then that Drizzt woke, his mind still buzzing with the sounds of arrows hitting their mark and of kissing. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to rid them of sleep, only to keep rubbing when he realised that his eyes were itchy.

Sighing, he slipped out of his bed and padded his way to the bathing room. He had been here for a while now and had already memorised his room and the paths to Alustriel's chambers, the guest rooms and the Hall where he and his friends played their card games.

Bruenor had left the day before, taking both his adopted children, Delly and Colson back to Mithral Hall.

Delly had been worried at first and had wanted to stay, but after being nudged quietly in the direction of the cart they would ride on, she had decided to stay with her family.

Regis was staying here, however. The halfling spending most of his time in the city, selling a few of the scrimshaw pieces he had made.

Sighing in pleasure at the feeling of the bath and its relaxing oils and bubbles, he decided he would be lazy today.

A week had passed since his little trip into the city and his getting lost. Bruenor had been sent for yet again and couldn't shirk off his duties as King any longer.

The prisoner that had been captured alive after the fight on Silverymoon hadn't yet talked, but since progress was said to be going nowhere, Alustriel had asked him personally to see to the questioning. That, he could leave until tomorrow.

He was determined to enjoy being lazy for just one day. Oh, how he hoped this could last. He knew it sounded mean, even to his own thoughts, but he was glad for the time alone. Since his running off on Wulfgar, he had been surrounded by all his friends.

He had become an exellent card player.

Sighing as the water grew cold, he got out and hurriedly dried himself off, grabbed at where his clean clothes were kept and dressed as fast as he could. At least that was something he was getting used to, though he obviously would need help getting into his armour if the need arose. Luckily it hadn't.

Slowly, he walked his way towards Alustriel's room, intent on telling her about his itchy eyes and whether that was a bad or a good sign. One hand made its way up to his face and began rubbing at the irritation.

He stopped after he counted how many steps it was to the Lady's room. Turning, he felt for the door handle and entered unannounced. Luckily this had become common place so he wasn't too surprised when he was greeted by Alustriel.

"Drizzt! Just the person I wanted to talk to." She exclaimed, getting off her chair at her desk and dragging the strangely embarrassed drow into a hug.

Drizzt shifted uncomfortably in the embrace the Lady was giving him, unsure about its reason. Alustriel had never been so...loving towards him before.

"I have found something that might help you gain back your sight! I do not know if it will work, but it is worth the try."

Drizzt was silent for a few moments, before smiling brightly at the happy news. "That is good news. Speaking of my eyes...they itch."

Alustriel smiled brightly at him regardless of the fact that he couldn't see her. "It sounds as though they are trying to heal themselves. That they itch is a sign of healing itself."

Drizzt's smile widened at hearing that, hope of being able to see again playing like a song in his heart. "Is there anything you can give me to stop the itch...it is rather annoying."

Alustriel thought for a few minutes. "Perhaps. I will see later, until then, you will have to live with the itch."

Drizzt nodded, before cocking his head to one side as if listening to something. "I better go now. I will come back later."

With that, he hurriedly left Alustriel's room and headed for his own. He had heard the guards coming and if he pretended to sleep, they should leave him be for the rest of the day...or at least until he has 'woken up'.

That was his hope at least.

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The guards at the gate were on immediate alert as a wounded elf slowly made her way to the bridge into Silverymoon.

Two guards helped her inside, while another four went on the alert to any enemies that could have been the one to injure the woman. Their halberds were held at the ready just in case.

When no enemies were about, they went back to their posts and kept an eye out for any danger as their jobs warranted.

None of them knew that the danger had just walked in. The young elf nevver knew it either.

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Off to one side of the city, Shade smiled, his fanged teeth glinting brightly, though the tips were lightly tinted red with blood.

Colt was dead. The elven whelp hurt and bloody. With any luck, his plan would work out perfectly. So far, his luck had been very good.

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Lyavain was immediately let in to the sprawling city, a couple of guards at her side, helping her to one of the nearest Healer's. Her wounds, while all superficial were many and all were bleeding, leaving her weak.

"Do you know who your attacker was, ma'am?" One of the guards asked, a male human with a dark complexion.

Lyavain closed her eyes and nodded. "Yes. His name is Shade. He...was an old associate but we have not spoken in many years. I thought him to be dead."

"Well, the guards are on alert nowadays, since the city was attacked a week ago. There has been no trouble since, from outside at any rate. We will make sure you are healed and will look for this Shade character. If he comes here, you will hear about it." The second guard, a half-Elf female, stated.

"Thank you." Lyavain stated, as she was taken to a bed and was asked to lie down. A potion to induce sleep and a healing potion were given to her and drunk.

As she drifted off into reverie the thought that Drizzt was in the city, possibly even with Lady Alustriel herself crept its way into her mind. Just before sleep fully claimed her, she must have muttered his name.

A/N - Well, it's about time, isn't it? I wanted to update, or put up all one-shots finished, before November, as I not only have a course on Animal Care to finish (tests are horrible aren't they?) But I also signed up for NaNoWriMo. My November is full now, lol.

Well, this part was updated faster than the last one, so that is a good thing. Mostly, I have been working mainly on my story called Lost. So that is my main excuse...that and laziness.

Thanks go to my reviewers for being faithful, even though I have been rotten with updating this story. Thanks to those who have stuck with it every chapter. Some have answers, or thank you's in brackets, one has an entire explanation! Different, I know.

Walker - Yes, he was trained by someone who was blind, but that is not the point. The point is, he had extremely good eyesight, especially at night and that was taken away from him very fast. Who wouldn't be upset? Also, he is drow. Usually, unless very powerful, a blind drow is killed. That would be hard to do to Drizzt, so I don't think that would be much of a problem. He is getting used to moving about without being able to see now.

HumbleMaster (thank you!!!), Ahn-Li Steffraini, Ranger Do'Urden, Calendae, Chickens (unfortunately yes, Colt did die), Em Starcatcher, Abbil, ChiChiX (the reason for the strange behaviour for a Healer will be brought up in the next chapter), Itsuki Tachibana, fanfic-demon


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Light in the Darkness

Chapter Sixteen

The prisoner let out a deep, gutteral growl as he entered the room. Drizzt knew that the sound came from something that in all likelyhood looked human but wasn't. Werewolves often were known to sometimes act more animalistic, even while in their human form.

That is, if he was dealing with a lycanthrope, that is. By the sounds the male was making, he definitely was.

Slowly, and with the help of a guard he had been ordered to go with, he made his way towards the cell, his every step reluctant.

It wasn't that he had any grudge against werewolves, after all, he did know Bidderdoo and he was quite nice if not...eccentric, bordering on psychotic. He just didn't know the prison well, as he had never been down there before. Now, with his blindness, he was finding the experience a little more...hair raising than he normally would.

The growling got louder and deeper the closer he got. He knew the only part of that, not due to his now excellent hearing was the deeper part. The male prisoner must have recognised him as the one who had killed his mate in the battle for Silverymoon, not too long ago.

The memory of it was suddenly very vivid and Drizzt automatically added pictures in his mind to go with the soounds he had heard. The events that had followed, starting with Delly almost losing her unborn child had wiped the fight from his memory.

He had forgotten completely that he had kept this one alive for questioning afterwards. But now that he was here, guards flanking him on three sides, he might as well get it over with.

"Why did you and your people attack Silverymoon?" he asked, immediately putting on his best 'I am a drow, fear me' voice. His only response was another growl, followed by a choked sounding chuckle.

"You don't scare me, Ranger!" Spat the creature in his direction, obviously not liking his profession very well.

Drizzt lifted one of his white eyebrows and cocked his head to one side. "So, I take it you do not like rangers?"

A clang of metal was heard and Drizzt jumped back. The werewolf was now flinging itself at the door of its cell, in an attempt to get to him. This time for reasons than he being a drow. The thought almost made him chuckle.

Almost.

The fact that he could only hear the male now pacing the cell in front of him made the feeling of anger trickle back into him, but he banished it quickly. He would not go about losing his temper again. It ended up with someone being hurt and with all the likelihood of it being him.

"You are a werewolf? Perhaps you could...shed some light on a recent ambush my friends and I got into. We were attacked by a group of your kind while on our way to Silverymoon, and again while here in the city. Was it because of me, or is there another reason."

The male behind the bars chuckled at hearing what he had just said. "Not everything bad that happens about you is because of you."

The creature stuck behind iron bars fell quiet after saying that, except for his breathing and the quiet shuffling of someone pacing. Drizzt felt a strange urge to open the cage door and let the prisoner go, for no other reason than the fact that he reminded of a wild animal that had been captured and kept in a cage for the amuzement of anyone to come and see. This was behinning to resemble a zoo in his mind.

He quickly shook his head, sending his waist length white hair flying behind him. He frowned at the feeling. If Catti-brie saw him right now, she would beg him to cut it a little, if to just neaten up the wild ends.

Where had that come from, he thought, frowning at his wandering mind, before turning his attention back to the still pacing werewolf.

He tried to bring it back into some semblance of a conversation, but failed, the pacing footsteps changing from two feet to four paws. Heaving a sigh, he got the guards he was with to take him back to the palace proper.

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Lyavain laid on the bed in the Healing Quarters she was now in, a cleric leaning over her. She felt strange, like as if a fever was raging inside, but her skin was cool and she was as pale as she normally was, perhaps a little more from the loss of blood she had aquired from her fight with Shade.

The fight....there was something important that she was forgetting about that, but she couldn't remember what exactly that was at the moment.

Sighing, she turned to her side, wondering if anyone had bothered to go and call her one and only drow friend. She asked the cleric, a male who seemed to worship Lathander. He smiled at her then, a look that made him seem much less...severe.

"Word has arrived that he had been busy with the unfortunate interrogation of a prisoner that had tried to attack the city. We are going to send a runner again shortly, hoping that he has finished with that nasty business."

Lyavain relaxed a little, her blonde hair faning aboutbher head as she let herself wonder when her friend would make it here. "Can you please see if the elf, Tarathiel could accompany him please?"

The young priest smiled at her, before wandering over to the next patient lying in the bed a few away from her own.

She felt a little better...in mind that was. The fire eating away at her veins just made her physically feel worse and very uncomfortable.

She was thinking of all that happened in the last fight with the local Bloodmaster and suddenly sat bolt upright in the bed. He was the local Bloodmaster! The leader of the werecreatures of what could possibly be just the Moonwood, but could possibly be the entire Silver Marches area.

She had been bitten slightly and scratched by his sharp claws in a dozen places and she had not been treated with the one herb that was local that could stop the...disease from spreading to her.

A weerewolf! She had been infected. After all this time Shade had gotten his revenge on her. Colt was dead and she had irrevocably been changed into a moster.

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Tarathiel stared at his friend, watching as she tried to keep her composure around him.

He had just been told the news of what Lyavain had just discovered of herself. Thankfully, though she would be stuck being a werewolf for the rest of her life as no known cure was found, there were places she could go to learn how to control the beast. Also she had a good two weeks before the next full moon.

He supposed there were the small tnings like that, which would matter in a situation like this. Well, the Clerics of Selune weren't fussy about werewolves. Perhaps a friend at the local temple could help her?

"Have you thought about what will happen now?" He asked, seeing Lyavain shake her head no.

"I am too busy trying to wake up from the nightmare I seem to be stuck in. All the Elves in the Moonwood know of the werewolves and that this could happen, but it is a bit different to know it is happening to you."

Not knowing what else to do, Tarathiel enveloped his friend in a hug, wishing himself that this had not happened.

Unfortunately, that was one wish a spell, or a potion cannot change.

His arms tightened about Lyavain when she began to silently cry onto her shoulder. Drizzt would have to wait until tomorrow to talk to her. He had been shipped off with a few travellers to help them to Nesme.

Tarathiel wondered what tthe drow ranger would think of this situation. He did, after all not like werewolves very much.

A/N - Wow, this chapter is up a whole lot sooner than I thought it would be! Well, I hope you all enjoy it anyways, hehe.

This story is getting close to its end now. I am glad that, regardless of how long it is taking me, I am still going at it. See people! I don't quit my stories!

Thanks go to my reviewers for telling me they still like this story.

Rebell (thanks for thinking they are in character!), Aya-Shoru, HumbleMaster, Yma, Maffeoel, She-cat, Icingdeath, RangerDo'Urden,


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Light in the Darkness

Chapter Seventeen

The guards were usually ready for anything but one thing: the anger of Alustriel, and the escape of a prisoner was enough to get her into that frightening state. For the two guards that were on duty in the prisons during the last night, they were now facing that nightmare.

"Did he break down the bars before knocking you both unconscious!" Lady Alustriel asked, her voice low and even, the tone that usually meant her anger was peaked.

The guard to her right cowered before her, the one to her left only slightly less. "No, my Lady...he...he broke through the wall into the cell next to his and used the open door. He...hit us before we could stop him, fled out the door and...well, he must have escaped through a window and scaled the wall."

Alustriel closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Why was it of late nothing turned out correctly? Everything seemed to turn into a bad situation. Now, the werewolf that had been prisoner, had not only escaped but had been able to flee the city and possibly head straight to his Bloodmaster. With Drizzt off with a small guard and his charges going to Nesme, the other Companions of the Hall gone back to Mithral Hall to fix whatever problem Bruenor had in the mines, and Tarathiel staying with Lyavain in the Healing Ward, there was only her army protecting the town...and that just didn't feel enough at the present time.

"Gather some more men. I want that creature caught and put down as soon as possible," she said demandingly of the two guards that had unintentionally let her, and possibly all the people of Silverymoon, down. The two guards saluted before turning around and leaving her to her thoughts.

Walking over to her chair, she sat with her back hunched, her head held in her hands in a rare show of uncertainty. What was she to do if there were more attacks? With more of her knights gone out of the city now, she was leaving herself and all the people under her protection in more danger than she had since the drow invasion years earlier.

She refused to let her people die. She would hunt down this werewolf until he was dead, and then find a way to make sure that her city was made more safe than it has been in a while.

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The land was different to what he remembered, but of course, last time he had been on this road he had been able to see all the nature about him. Now all he had was his hearing, his sense of smell and his increasingly sharpening sense of touch.

A small sniff beside him roused him completely from the sleep he had just come out of. Tomas, his young charge, must have just woken up himself. The feel of a small hand thudding against his back made him smile. The muttered sorry that followed made him chuckle.

"Tomas, are you up now?" Liliandra, commonly known as Lily and the mother to the small boy, asked.

"Aye. I'm sorry for hitting you, Drizzt," the boy said, his voice still rough with sleep. The boy shifted again, this time getting up out of the warmth of his bedroll and climbing to his feet, before wandering off behind a tree to relieve himself.

The general shuffle of the four guards with him, making sure he kept to the path while on the walk, kept him from going back to sleep. Giving in to his own body's need to move or cramp up, he stretched out his legs and got to his feet. He kept himself busy by packing up his own bedroll and tying it to the top of his pack, pulling out a bit of bread and slowly chewed on the food. He could hear the shuffle about him as Tomas came back, ready for his own breakfast bread and slowly ate what was given to him.

"How long until we get to Nesmé, Ma?" asked the boy, the question asked in such a way that it sounded like he didn't want to ever reach the place, happy with being in the wilds. Tomas reminded Drizzt of himself just that bit more for that. The boy truly would make an excellent ranger, or perhaps even a druid.

"Another day's walk and we should arrive at the town," Lily replied, making Drizzt nod silently. He just hoped he didn't hold the group back when they had to cross the river to get there.

"We are going to see Da's family...his brother is my uncle! Hehe, do you know why they are called Uncle's Drizzt?" Tomas asked loudly, excited at the prospect of seeing family he never had before.

"No, I do not, perhaps it is just the way things are. A lot of things are like that," he replied, smiling at the childish exuberance that he wanted in his own life. An image of Catti-brie holding a child with dark skin and her blue eyes took his breath away. How he still longed for her!

Shaking his head free of the rather comforting, yet odd, thought, Drizzt gathered everyone close to him, before settling down into the last days' walk to the town. He missed this dearly! Being out in the woods, no one but who he was travelling with and the trees and animals to keep him company. If only he could see all that about himthis would have been perfect!

"Drizzt, look what I found!" came the excited voice of Tomas from a bit ahead of the rest of the small group.

"What is it?" he asked, as the boy knew he couldn't see.

"A small lizard! It's yellow, I've never seen a yellow lizard before!" The wonder in that voice made Drizzt fully laugh out loud and he noticed it had been a long time since he had truly been in this good a cheer.

"Put the lizard down now, sweet," Lily said to the boy and after an awkward minute of silence, Tomas made a decision.

"No Ma, I want to keep it. See? It likes me!"

And the boy was right. Using his own gift with animals, something he had not used in quite a while, he could feel that the lizard did indeed like the boy. "Well, all pets and animal companions need a name, Tomas," he stated, making sure that it was alright and that the lizard was safe and harmless for Liliandra's sake.

Silence reigned again for quite a few long minutes until the boy spoke aloud again. "Her name is Ivory."

Drizzt smiled and nodded. He had been able to tell it was a female by the feel of it, but that Tomas could too! Such talent in the young boy! "Ivory. I am sure she likes it." He was more sure by the minute that it was the name the lizard picked for him to use.

Without another word, but with a flurry of running footsteps, the young lad ran towards the guards to introduce his newest friend. Shaking his head and smiling, Drizzt kept walkig along what he hoped to be the right path. Since he wasn't being stopped, he knew he was.

Though he may not be able to see, or at least right that second, he was content that he could continue on with his duties as a Ranger. His thoughts turned then to Montolio and his smile widened. Indeed, he had been well trained.

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The days of waiting for Drizzt to come back grew longer, even as his worry for Lyavain grew. Every day that passed by meant another closer to the full moon, though that was still a good two weeks from now. Lyavain wanted to tell the goodly drow about the magical disease that now would turn her into a wolf on full moons before she had her first transformation.

"How much longer, do you think?" she asked him from her spot across the table from him. Drizzt had been gone for a few days now, and the wait was becoming almost unbearable for the injured elf.

Tarathiel grabbed lightly at one of her hands, sad to see that while the scratches would not heal by magical means, they were healing too fast for a normal elf. They were still raw though, and very much still hurt. Yet, the woman had been unable to lie in bed a moment longer and with her young healers help and permission, she had been moved to a chair outside so she could see the woods she called home.

Garrett, the healer assigned to her, had been helpful the entire time, though he could be quite severe for one as young as he was. Sitting to one side of her, he scowled. "Drizzt should not be moving about so freely while unable to see," Garrett stated.

Tarathiel turned a glare at the human and thought about how good it would feel to hit the young lad over the head, perhaps using the heavy club that Lyavain had taken to carrying everywhere with her. While proficient in quite a few weapons, the club was her favourite. Tarathiel thought that she blamed herself for Colt's death and her own condition because she had not been carrying it when they had been attacked.

"A few days more and he should return. There is still plenty of time, Lyavain. If he is not back within another four days, we will begin to search for him."

Tarathiel meant it too. He would personally scout the area for the drow ranger himself if he did not return within four days. That would give him enough time to get back and perhaps stay the night in Nesmé, if he was allowed.

The wait would not be terrible for himself, but with her awful news, the wait would be hoorrendously long for Lyavain. He hoped that she would be able to stop herself from running madly off into the woods to go find the drow before she was properlly healed.

She was known for making rash decisions.

A/N - Yes, after a very long time, this story is updated. After running into a few problems with my own eyes, in which they are slowly degenerating, I kind of...ran into a block for this story, but since the progress of my eyes degenerating has slowed down a lot, I kind of got back into this story, so yay!

Thanks to all those who are still reading and those who reviewed the last chapter. I am sorry it has been so long between updates.


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